The Angels Return
by Avengelith
Summary: Where do you draw the line between human and angel? Contains ShinjiRei.
1. Rebirth of Angels

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or any of the characters in this fic (except maybe Nara). If I owned Evangelion I wouldn't be writing fanfics, I'd be rewriting the series.

Author's Notes: Contains Shinji/Rei. OOCness.

* * *

**1. Rebirth of Angels**

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Gendo Ikari stood in a small room deep within Terminal Dogma staring at the three LCL tanks in front of him and their unconscious occupants. "Are you sure about this," he asked the only other conscious occupant of the room.

Ritsuko Akagi hesitated before responding, she could never tell how Gendo would react to these things. "Yes the MAGI confirm it, all three are at least part Angel."

Gendo's brow furrowed and he frowned. "How long till they regain consciousness?"

"I don't know sir, physically they're fully recovered and their brain waves have finally settled down but they're still not responding to any outside stimulus. They could wake up in a few minutes or a few years."

Gendo tried to hide his displeasure at the doctor's response. "So the only pilots we have right now are pilots Sohryu and Suzuhara. What the status of Units 14 & 15."

Ritsuko checked her notepad for the relevant data. "Germany has completed Unit-14, it should be arriving here in the next few days and America has promised Unit-15 won't be far behind. They should both be here within a week."

"Good, are you ready to begin construction on Units 16 & 17?"

"Almost sir, but who will pilot them."

Gendo looked back at the tanks studying each of their occupants in turn. The first was unfamiliar to him, where the boy in the tank had come from he did not know. Gendo's gaze moved onto the next tank, it contained one Rei Ayanami. Like the others Rei was unconscious and strangely she had a smile on her face. It was the third tank however that held the commander's attention, the one containing his son Shinji Ikari. He looked the same as he always had but if what Ritsuko said was true he had changed considerable. 'How could my son be an Angel, it's just not possible!!' Gendo mentally yelled.

Ritsuko patiently awaited the commander's answer to her question and was rewarded when he finally turned to face her. "You said the boy is a potential Eva pilot correct?"

"Yes."

"Then as of now he is the 6th Child. When he and Rei regain consciousness they will be assigned to Units 16 & 17."

Ritsuko would have reminded Gendo that it could be years before that happened but she knew he had heard her the first time and he hated having things told to him twice. So instead she asked another question. "What about Shinji, what will he pilot?"

"When he regains consciousness we'll try to activate Unit-01 with him. He's our best chance of reactivating it."

"Very well, sir."

(2 weeks later, Terminal Dogma)

The room was empty except for the tanks containing its three silent occupants.

One of tanks registered a rise in its occupant's blood pressure and an increase in the strength of his brain waves. Within the tank an arm reached up until it met the glass. It rested there for several seconds and then clenched into a fist as Shinji Ikari opened his eyes.

(Central Dogma)

Ritsuko had been sitting in her office working on her laptop when the small light on her desk started blinking. She new what that light was for and she was out the door within seconds.

She arrived at the room's entrance at the same time as Gendo almost running into him but just managing to bring herself to a stop. "Sir."

Gendo didn't bother responding and simply walked into the room.

When Ritsuko entered her eyes immediately went to the tanks on the far side of the room. It was third tank that held her attention however. Floating inside was a very much awake Shinji Ikari.

Shinji didn't so much as blink as his eyes locked with his father's. He motioned with one hand at the surround LCL in a sort of dismissive gesture. Ritsuko understood and typed a series of commands into the computer panel on the side of the tank. Immediately the LCL drained out of the tank leaving Shinji standing on the floor of the now empty tank. The glass in front of Shinji parted, sliding to the sides and he stepped out onto the room's floor. He turned to the other two tanks. After studying them for several seconds he nodded and briefly touched the glass of Rei's tank before turning back to the room's other occupants.

Ritsuko opened her mouth to ask Shinji how he was feeling but was interrupted by Gendo's cold emotionless command. "Pilot Ikari, report your status."

"I am fine." To Ritsuko's surprise Shinji's voice was as cold and emotionless as his father's. Even more so in fact.

Gendo's brow furrowed as he considered his next question. "Who are you?"

"I am Shinji Ikari."

"Are you an Angel?"

Shinji paused as he considered his answer. "Yes."

"Are you fully Angel?"

"No, I am only half Angel. My other half is human."

"I see, what of the others?" Gendo gestured to the two remaining active LCL tanks.

"They are the same, half human, half Angel."

Ritsuko decided it was time to ask her own question. "When will the others awake?"

Shinji glanced back at the tanks and smiled. "Soon, they're almost ready."

Gendo's head snapped up as he thought of another question. "Does your Angel half come from a specific Angel?"

"Yes."

"Which one?"

"Adam, the one you call the 1st Angel."

Gendo fought to keep his expressionless face. He had not expected that, Adam was probably the strongest Angel. "What happened to Adam?"

"I assimilated him into myself. Adam as a separate entity no longer exists."

Ritsuko could not keep the shock from her voice. "So…so you're Adam?"

Shinji turned slightly to look at her. "No, I am one with Adam in mind, body and soul but I am not him. I am Shinji Ikari."

Ritsuko suddenly became aware of Shinji's utter lack of clothing. "Umm…Shinji do you want something to wear?"

Shinji glanced down at himself. His expressionless persona did not change but Ritsuko thought she saw a slight hint of displeasure in his eyes. After knowing Rei for so long she had learnt to pick up on these small signs. She realised suddenly that the only real emotion Shinji had shown since he exited the tank was when he smiled at the two remaining tanks.

Shinji's voice broke Ritsuko out of her thoughts. "I suppose I should wear something."

Gendo however interrupted any further discussion on the topic. "That can wait, what do you plan to do now?"

Shinji didn't say anything for several seconds and when he finally responded it was not what Ritsuko had expected. "I will continue to pilot Eva."

Gendo couldn't keep the smirk from his face. "Good, I'm glad to see you've stopped running away."

Shinji didn't respond but instead turned to once again study the remaining active tanks.

Ritsuko followed his gaze to see that Rei was stirring in her tank. Shinji stepped forward and pressed the palm of his right hand up against the glass of Rei's tank. A moment later Rei's left hand moved and she pressed her palm against the glass directly across from Shinji's hand, the smile on her face widening. Shinji smiled back and Rei Ayanami opened her eyes.

Ritsuko started draining the tank without being asked. As soon as the tank opened Rei stepped out and assumed her usual emotionless expression, perfectly mimicking Shinji's. She turned to Gendo. "Commander," her voice was as cold as Shinji's which surprised Ritsuko since Rei had always seemed to get along with Gendo.

Gendo looked slightly perturbed but began questioning her anyway. "You are Rei Ayanami correct?"

"Yes."

"And you are half Angel?"

Rei paused before answering. "Yes."

"Have you assimilated an Angel like pilot Ikari?"

Another pause. "Yes."

"Which Angel have you assimilated?"

His question confused Rei. Surely the commander could figure that out for himself. "I assimilated Lilith, since I was in part made from her."

Gendo had expected this answer. "Does Lilith have any control over you?"

"No, like Shinji I am in full control."

"I see, will you pilot Eva again?"

"Yes, but I no longer have an Eva."

Ritsuko interrupted Gendo's response. "Rei, you'll be assigned to Unit-16 just as soon as we finish building it."

"How long until it's complete?"

"Err…well we haven't actually started yet."

"Understood…perhaps I could help you?"

Ritsuko's eyebrows shot up. "You want to help build your Eva?"

Gendo once again interrupted the conversation. "That is not important right now, how did this happen."

Shinji and Rei looked at each other than back at Gendo. "We do not know." They both spoke at exactly the same time.

(3 Hours Later, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji and Rei sat alone in the room staring at the one remaining active tank.

Rei was frowning slightly. "Nara should have awakened by now."

Shinji smiled at her than returned his attention to the tank. "It's harder for him Rei-chan he's never been alive before. He has no memories to help him suppress his Angel-half."

Rei smiled at his title for her. "I know, I'm just worried that his Angel-half will win."

"You know it won't. It doesn't want to."

Gendo and Ritsuko had left almost two hours ago, once Gendo had finished his questions. Shinji and Rei had stated they were staying and for once Gendo hadn't argued but told them they were not to leave the room.

Since then Shinji and Rei had simply sat on the floor and waited for Nara.

Rei was no longer frowning but her voice was grave. "What if it's too much for him?"

"It's not he'll be with us soon." As if Shinji's words were a summon Nara began to move. His movements were not calm like Shinji's and Rei's; instead his entire body was shaking. His shaking arms began to flail about and impacted with the glass. Without opening his eyes, Nara opened his mouth and screamed. It sounded like the scream of an injured animal, it was full of pain. At the same time the glass was struck by an invisible force and the entire tank exploded throwing glass around the room. Nara's scream was drowned out as several loud alarms went off all through Terminal Dogma, a similar set of alarms going off in Central Dogma.

Nara finally stopped screaming and collapsed onto the floor of the now glass strewn room. Shinji and Rei were at his side in an instant, both of them bleeding from multiple wounds caused by the flying glass. Nara was conscious but still had his eyes closed. He had already started to rise when Shinji and Rei helped him to his feet. He struggled against them at first but clamed down as Shinji held him up from the shoulders and Rei lightly brushed his hair away from his eyes. Slowly Nara opened his eyes as if the action was foreign to him. Like Rei his eyes were red and his skin was very pale, his hair however was a greyish black instead of blue. He looked at his two companions and the corners of his mouth turned up into a slight smile.

"So he's finally decided to join us has he?" Ritsuko was standing in the doorway looking in at the three teens.

Shinji and Rei assumed their usual expressionless faces while Nara's smile slipped from his face.

It was Shinji who responded to Ritsuko. "Yes, Nara has awoken."

Ritsuko looked at the damage to the room. "Did he do this?"

This time it was Rei who answered. "Yes."

Gendo arrived in the doorway. "What happened here?"

Ritsuko answered him. "It seems Nara was impatient to escape his tank. It was his AT field that set off the alarms."

Gendo turned to Nara. "Explain yourself."

Nara just stared at him, apparently confused.

Shinji interrupted before Gendo could repeat himself. "He doesn't understand you. He hasn't learnt any languages yet."

Gendo glared at his son. "That is unacceptable; he has been chosen as the 6th Child he must be able to follow commands."

"We will teach him commander." Rei's expression didn't change as she spoke.

Ritsuko was about to object but the look Gendo gave her made her close her mouth. Instead it was Gendo who responded. "Very well, but do it quickly. I will see to your accommodations."

Gendo left the room and motioned for them to follow.

(Later, The Apartment)

Shinji opened the door to his new apartment and entered the living room. He was closely followed by Rei and Nara. Nara carried a small bag containing all of their personal possessions which he promptly dropped on the floor just inside the doorway.

The apartment wasn't very large. There was the living room, a kitchen, a single bathroom and four empty bedrooms. The furniture was limited, consisting of a couch, a table, some chairs, four beds, an oven, a sink and a fridge.

Shinji opened the fridge and signed. "Empty, they could have given us some food."

Rei entered the kitchen. "The commander gave us enough money to buy whatever we needed."

Shinji turned around to face her. "Yeah I know, I'm just really hungry…heh where's Nara?"

Rei looked around to where she'd left Nara. "I don't know he must be looking around the apartment." Sure enough they found Nara looking through the four bedrooms, though there wasn't anything to look at. He walked to one room and pointed at it, giving Shinji and Rei a pointed look.

Rei stifled a laugh behind her hand. "I think he want's that one."

Shinji struggled to keep his face straight. "We really need to teach him to speak."

Rei glanced back at the kitchen. "You go get some food, I'll start teaching him."

Shinji immediately headed for the door. "Okay, I'll be back soon."

"There's no hurry." Rei called after him as he went through the door. She then turned back to Nara. "Now, where to start?"

Shinji returned nearly half an hour later. He entered the apartment to find Rei and Nara sitting on the couch. Rei's hand was resting on Nara's forehead and her brow was furrowed in concentration. Nara had his eyes closed and he was smiling. Rei looked up as she heard the door open and smiled at Shinji. Nara's eyes snapped open and he too looked over at Shinji.

"Welcome back, Shinji." Nara's voice was deeper than Shinji's and bared a striking resemblance to Rei's in its tone.

Shinji blinked several times. "You can talk?"

Nara smiled. "Yes, Rei taught me."

"How did you learn so fast?" The shock was audible in Shinji's voice.

Rei calmly explained what had happened. "I put the knowledge directly into Nara's mind. Since then I've been teaching him everything else I know how to do." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I've run out of things to teach him, do you want a go."

Shinji looked slightly confused. "You know everything I know Rei-chan, we were one being for a while, remember."

Rei signed. "I know that Shin-chan, I just thought you'd want a turn."

"Oh, okay then."

Shinji put the bags he was carrying on the kitchen table and returned to the couch where he took Rei's position across from Nara. He put his hand on Nara's forehead and began the complicated process of transferring knowledge.

(Next Day, Tokyo-3 High School)

The teacher stood in front of the class as the class rep went through her usual morning duties, instructing the class to stand up, bow and sit down.

"Okay students," the teacher gestured to the three teens standing behind him. "As I'm sure you've all already noticed, Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari have returned to school. We also have a new student." He pointed at the boy standing next to Shinji and Rei, "Nara Ayanami."

Loud whispering went around the room at the name. Nara's red eyes had already made most of the class think he was related to Rei but confirmation of this was still enough to set off the entire class.

"Quite down!" the teacher's voice cut off the whispering. He turned to the three teens behind him. "Would you three please take your seats. The classroom has been rearranged so you'll all have to sit at the back."

Shinji and Rei moved towards the back with Nara closely trailing them. They sat in three tables up the back with Shinji in the middle, Rei on his left and Nara on his right.

As soon as the teacher turned his back on the class. Touji turned in his seat to confront Shinji. "Where you been man?"

"Training, for Nerv."

Touji was not happy with this answer but decided to ignore it for now. "What's his story?" He pointed over at Nara who was staring at the ceiling.

"He's Rei's brother."

"I didn't know Rei had a brother, why'd he turn up now?"

"He was brought here by my father."

"Is he an Eva pilot?"

"Yeah, he's the 6th Child."

Touji looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, another Ayanami I guess everyone's going to have to stop calling Rei, Ayanami."

"I guess so."

"So, you moving back in with Misato and Asuka?"

"No, I share an apartment with Rei and Nara now."

Touji's eyebrows shot up. Not only because Shinji was living with a girl and her brother but because he said it with a straight face, very unusual for Shinji. However the teacher's voice cut off any further discussion. "Suzuhara, Ikari would you two like to share your conversation with the class."

"No, Sensei." Touji answered a second before Shinji.

"Then quite down." The teacher's gaze moved to Rei who was staring out a window and Nara who was still staring at the ceiling. A small smile crossed his face. "Ayanami!"

Neither teen reacted. "Ayanami!!!" Rei turned her head to look at him and Nara lowered his gaze to look at him.

"Yes." Both teens said at exactly the same time.

The teacher was surprised that had actually worked. "Are you two paying attention at all?"

"Yes." Once again the answers were simultaneous.

They were starting to weird the teacher out. "Well then face the front."

"Yes, Sensei." For the third time the answers were perfectly synchronised.

The teacher turned back to the board and continued the lesson.

(Lunch)

Shinji, Rei and Nara were on the school roof. Touji and Kensuke approached them.

Kensuke had a wide grin on his face. "So, Touji tells me you three are living together."

It was Nara who responded. "That is correct."

Kensuke gave him an appraising look. "You're just like Rei aren't you?"

"Oh great another Ayanami." The five teens turned to see Asuka and Hikari approaching. Asuka continued talking. "Don't tell me you're an Eva pilot too."

Nara's voice was perfectly calm. "I am the 6th Child."

"Hasn't Nerv learnt yet, you Ayanamis aren't fit to pilot Eva."

Nara didn't bother responding he just walked over to stand beside Rei.

Satisfied that she'd won that battle, Asuka rounded on Shinji. "What's the big idea? You disappear for almost 6 months and when you finally come back you don't even come back to Misato's apartment. Instead you move in with those two freaks." She pointed a finger at Rei and Nara.

For once Shinji wasn't afraid to speak his mind. "I have been assigned to the same living quarters as Rei and Nara; I was not given a choice in the matter." Rei gave Shinji a hurt look, if he hadn't wanted to live with her he should have said. Shinji however was not finished. "However if I was given a choice I would have opted to live with them anyway, I prefer their company." Rei smiled slightly.

Asuka just stared. She'd expected him to give one of his usual half-formed excuses, or try and deny it. But that…

With a shriek of rage Asuka spun on her heels and headed towards the stairs. Hikari seemed indecisive for a moment than ran after her friend.

Touji clapped Shinji on the shoulder. "Wow, you actually stood up to Asuka."

Shinji shrugged. "She had it coming; I'm tired of her always picking on everyone." He sat down to eat his lunch and Rei sat next to him. Shinji offered Rei a rice ball, which she took.

Rei gave Shinji a small smile. "Thank you, Shin-chan."

"You're welcome Rei-chan."

Touji coughed violently behind them. "Cha…chan?"

Shinji looked slightly amused. "Is there a problem with that?" He put his arm around Rei's shoulders and Rei leaned her head on his shoulder.

Touji appeared to be in shock so Kensuke answered for him. "No, it's just…when did this happen?"

Rei quiet voice answered him. "While we were in training."

Touji finally found his voice. "Well that makes sense I guess."

Shinji and Rei both smiled and Rei took a bite from her rice ball.

(After School)

Shinji ran out the school gate and straight into Touji.

Touji pushed himself off the ground. "Ouch, watch where you're going man."

Shinji accepted Kensuke's help in getting up. The glasses-wearing boy had been standing next to Touji. "Sorry Touji, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Kensuke jumped into the conversation. "Shin-man can we come to your apartment?"

"What…Why?"

"To see your apartment obviously." Touji made sure to use his most annoying tone.

Shinji was about to respond when Rei and Nara walked out the gate behind them.

Nara looked at them but said nothing. Rei considered doing the same but decided against it. "What are you doing?" As usual her voice was perfectly calm.

"Umm…" Kensuke didn't really know how to talk to Rei. "We were asking Shinji if we could come over to your apartment."

Rei appeared to consider the statement. "That is…acceptable." She glanced over at Nara (who nodded slightly) and then began walking down the street. Shinji and Nara immediately began to follow her. Touji and Kensuke hesitated then followed them.

(At The Apartment)

Nara swiped his key card through the door's lock to open the door and stepped into the apartment. Rei followed him and then Shinji. A few seconds passed and then Touji and Kensuke stepped into the apartment, the door closing behind them. Nara once again swiped his key card to lock the door and then pocketed it.

Kensuke looked around the living room. "There's not much here."

Kensuke almost jumped out of his skin as Rei giggled. "You're the one who wanted to come; it's not my fault if you don't like it."

Kensuke just blinked, a look of confusion on his face. A similar expression was on Touji's face. 'Did Rei just laugh…no that wasn't possible, Rei never laughed.'

Rei's face resumed it usual expression. "Is something wrong?"

"You…you laughed." Touji finally managed to stutter out his thoughts.

"She does that a lot around here." Shinji smiled at his friends.

"But…then…why were you acting all emotionless at school?" Touji looked directly at Rei.

Rei shrugged. "I wasn't really; I just didn't have anything to act emotional about."

As he thought about it Touji realised this was true. In fact he know remembered that Rei had smiled and leant against Shinji on the roof.

"So do you guys want something to eat?" Shinji motioned toward the kitchen.

"Sure." Touji was in the kitchen before anyone else could move.

As the others entered Touji looked up from where he was busy surveying the fridge's contents. "Hey where's the meat?"

"There isn't any." Nara reached over Touji's head and grabbed a can of soda from the fridge's door.

"What no meat, why?"

"We don't eat meat."

Touji looked over at Shinji his face aghast. "Is this true?"

"Yeah, so?" Shinji didn't see the problem.

"How can you live without meat?" Touji's voice was full of actual shock.

Shinji didn't respond he just rolled his eyes. Meanwhile Nara grabbed two more cans and threw them to Rei and Shinji. He looked at Touji and Kensuke and then at the two remaining cans. He considered his choices and came to a regrettable conclusion. He signed. "Do either of you want a soda?"

Both teens immediately accepted and Nara reluctantly threw the cans to them then closed the fridge.

Shinji laughed at Nara's attitude. "We can get more cans later."

Nara perked up a little. "Oh yeah…well what do we do now."

Kensuke was giving Nara another appraising look. "You have emotions as well?"

Nara looked a little annoyed. "Everyone has emotions." He sat down at the table.

The others sat down as well, drinking from their soda cans.

Touji and Kensuke didn't stay to long. They just wanted to see the apartment and since both wanted meat to eat they soon went home.

"That was interesting." Rei commented as the door closed behind the two teens.

Shinji smiled. "You did well."

Rei smiled back.

(Next Day, Nerv, Eva Bays)

Ritsuko talked to Shinji over the intercom. "Okay Shinji, try to make contact with Unit-01."

"Understood." Sitting in Unit-01's entry plug Shinji concentrated on making contact with his mother's soul. His brow furrowed in concentration then suddenly his eyes snapped open. "She's not here."

Gendo leaned forward from behind his observation desk. "What do you mean?"

"Mother's soul is no longer in the Eva, she has departed."

"What? Where has she gone?" Gendo was very angry and it showed in his voice.

"I…don't know, but I believe she's…moved on."

Gendo sagged dejectedly in his chair. "Very well, so Unit-01 is useless now."

"No." Shinji's voice was still calm. "I can reactivate it; it doesn't need its own soul."

It was Ritsuko who spoke first. "What are you going to do?"

"I will use my soul to activate it. It will become a part of me. That way it will be much easier to pilot."

"You can do that?" Ritsuko was shocked.

"Yes."

"Proceed." Gendo's voice cut off what Ritsuko had been about to say.

Shinji nodded and concentrated again. He could feel the substance that made the Eva up. It was unfortunate Unit-01 wasn't made from Adam like the other Eva's; it would have made things much easier. Since Unit-01 was made from Lilith this task was better suited to Rei. Shinji pushed on regardless, he probed with his mind at the Eva's core. As he expected it was lifeless but before he could reactivate it he had to make some other changes. Unit-01's genetic makeup began to change, the Angel part of its DNA slowly changing from Lilith's to Adam's. At the same time its human DNA changed to closer mimic Shinji's own. Externally its appearance did not change but internally it was reforming itself. With one last push Shinji finished altering its genetic makeup and turned to the core.

In the observation room Ritsuko couldn't believe her eyes. She was staring at the computer screen monitoring Unit-01's life signs. They were going crazy, everything from brain waves to blood type. This wasn't possible, what was Shinji doing.

Meanwhile Shinji was preparing to reactivate the core. He probed its outer edges with his mind and then began to push deeper this time extending forth a part of his soul. He knew this was dangerous but since there was no other soul in Unit-01 there shouldn't be any problems. As his soul came in contact with the core it began to meld itself to it. If Shinji was not careful he would be completely consumed. Carefully he began to withdraw his soul leaving behind its essence, to bind the Eva to himself. Shinji was almost free when an unseen force started to pull him back in. 'What the hell?' This was not good something had a hold on him and it wasn't letting go. He could feel the Eva trying to absorb his body from the entry plug. Desperately he threw out his thoughts. 'I could use some help here!!!' His mental scream seemed at first to get no response. Then suddenly a surge of power rushed into him as a link opened between him and Rei. He could feel Rei's thoughts; they were full of a sort of desperate fear. Even with their combined power however, Shinji was still being pulled in. Then Nara joined the link and more power rushed into Shinji. Nara was filled with calm determination but Shinji could tell that he was also afraid. Their three wills combined and slowly but surely Shinji was pulled free. One moment his soul was in the Eva the next he was back in his own body. He remained conscious long enough to feel the others withdraw from the link, then fainted.

(Next Day, Tokyo-3 Hospital, Private Ward)

Misato looked at the three unconscious teens in their hospital beds hooked up to several monitors each. The doctor said that physically they were fine but that they may have suffered brain damage. Ritsuko still wouldn't tell her what had happened; only that it was classified. "Damn it they're only kids. Come on guys you have to wake up."

"Misato, you should go home." Ritsuko was standing in the doorway.

"Ritsuko, please tell me what happened?"

"You know I can't its classified."

"Well can you at least tell me why they're all like this?"

Ritsuko seemed to consider her answer. "Well…Shinji got himself into danger and Rei and Nara got him out but in the process…" She pointed at the beds.

"So they saved him."

"Pretty much yeah."

"Do you…think they'll recover?"

"I'm sure of it." Ritsuko sounded totally confident and this lightened Misato's mode a little.

(Meanwhile, Tokyo-3 High School)

The teacher hadn't arrived yet and Kensuke was questioning Touji about the three missing students. "So what happened to them?"

"I don't know man, it's classified."

"You have to know something."

"All I know is that Shinji was doing some classified experiment and that Rei and Nara were doing something to do with their new Evas when all of them just collapsed."

"There has to be a reason."

"There probably is, but no one will tell me."

"Damn, I hope they're alright."

(Meanwhile, Commander Ikari's Office)

Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki had a slight frown on his face as he addressed his long time friend. "If they die, all your plans will be ruined."

Gendo's face remained emotionless. "They will not die; they are far too powerful for that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

(2 Hours Later, Tokyo-3 Hospital, Private Ward)

Misato had fallen asleep in her chair after having refused to leave the children's room. Ritsuko was leaning against the wall drinking her 8th coffee. 'It's too bad Misato drinks beer instead of coffee, it just doesn't keep you awake,' a small smile crossed Ritsuko's face at the thought. Her thoughts were interrupted however as the machines monitoring Shinji and Rei began to beep.

The sound also woke Misato from her sleep. "What…what's happening?"

Ritsuko was about to respond when Shinji and Rei both began to moan.

Misato was in front of their beds in an instant. "Shinji? Rei?"

Rei's eyes opened and very slowly she sat up.

Misato immediately turned to her. "Rei, are you okay?"

"I am…fine, ma…Misato."

Before Misato could comment on the change of title Shinji sat up in bed. He glanced to the side at Misato and Rei. "Rei are…are you okay?"

Rei smiled at him. "I am fine Shinji…are you okay?"

Shinji smiled back. "I'm fine, thanks to you and Nara."

Ritsuko stepped up to the beds. "How much longer will Nara be out?"

Shinji's brow furrowed as he thought about it. "I don't know, he has some things to do before he wakes up."

Shinji looked as if he was going to say more but before he could Misato, no longer able to restrain herself pulled him into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay Shinji."

Rei got out of her bed and walked over beside Misato. She managed to hold in her laughter but there was a smile on her face.

Her smile fell abruptly though as, after hesitating for a moment Misato reached out and pulled her into an embrace as well. She'd noticed the unusual amount of emotion Rei was showing. "You've changed Rei."

Shinji finally started to speak. "Erm, Misato do you think you could err, let go?"

Misato didn't do anything at first but then reluctantly let go of Shinji and Rei.

Rei let out a sign of relief and sat on the edge of Shinji's bed.

Shinji let out a similar sign and spun around on the bed, draping his legs over the side and sitting next to Rei. His hand slowly sought out Rei's and gently squeezed it. He smiled as Rei returned the squeeze.

All four of the room's occupants turned at the sound of the door opening. Standing on the fresh hold was Gendo Ikari.

Misato's gaze moved from Gendo back to the two teens. She almost jumped when she saw the transformation. Both teens were now standing in front of Shinji's bed. But more noticeably their facial expressions were different. Where before their faces had shown emotion now they were perfectly calm and showed not even a hint of emotion. Though their eyes were faintly…cold.

If Gendo noticed it didn't show. "So you're alive?"

Neither teen responded.

Gendo's gaze moved to Nara's bed. "What about him?"

"He will be fine." Shinji's voice was nearly emotionless but like his eyes it was faintly cold and carried a hint of anger.

A slight smirk crossed Gendo's face. "You'll be expected to return to work…soon." He turned and left the room.

As soon as he disappeared the emotionless look slid from Rei and Shinji's faces and they sat back on the bed.

Misato gave them a wry look. "What was that about?"

Rei frowned slightly. "We do not show emotion to those we do not like."

Misato looked slightly confused. "But I thought you liked the commander Rei."

"I am not his doll." Rei actually sounded angry. Misato waited for further comment but none was forthcoming.

(Same Time, Nara's Mind)

Nara was sitting in a railway carriage. Across from him was a younger version of himself. "Who are you?"

"I am you."

"That isn't possible, I was never a child."

"Weren't you?"

"No I was created at this age."

"Why?"

"I was created as a vessel for the souls of the Angels."

"The Angels?"

"Yes."

"Which ones?"

"All those that weren't already assimilated. Sachiel, Shamshiel, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Sandalphon, Matariel, Sahaqiel, Yrouel, Leliel, Bardiel, Zeruel, Arael, Armisael and Tabris."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

"So you contain the souls of fifteen Angels and yet you claim to be part human."

"I am part human, I have a human soul and it is the dominate one."

"But that soul was created using the powers of Adam and Lilith, two Angels."

"That is not important it is still human, it is my soul."

"And who are you?"

"I am Nara Ayanami."

"Are you really?"

"Yes that is the name I was given."

"By who?"

"By my family."

"Your family?"

"Yes."

"Who are your family?"

"My parents."

"Who are your parents?"

"Shinji and Rei. They created me so they are my parents."

"But they created you to serve a purpose; they do not care for you."

"That isn't true; they have shown that they care for me."

"When?"

"Many times, they helped me when I first awoke, they taught me how to speak and they shared their memories with me."

"Do you love them?"

"Yes."

"Do they love you?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Very well." Abruptly the child vanished along with the railway carriage. Nara remained for a few seconds, floating in blackness then he too vanished.

(Tokyo-3 Hospital, Private Ward)

Rei and Shinji were on their feet and beside Nara's bed before the machines beep had even faded.

Nara's life monitoring machines continued to register Nara's return to consciousness.

Nara lay still for a few seconds then opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw Shinji and Rei leaning over him.

"Well, that's all of them." Ritsuko let out a relieved sign.

Nara rose to a sitting position. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Misato walked over beside Shinji and Rei. "How are you feeling?"

Nara seemed to consider his answer. "I…feel fine."

Misato smiled at the boy. "Well then, you're all coming to my apartment."

Shinji and Rei spoke simultaneously. "Why?"

"To celebrate obviously." Misato's voice simply screamed 'Duh!'

* * *

End Notes: Like, Hate. I won't know if you don't tell me. It will get better I swear, following chapters will be more interesting. Oh, and the events proceeding the events of this chapter will be explained later. I'm not just ignoring them. 


	2. New Threats

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion. As if you needed me to tell you that.

Author's Notes: Okay here's chapter two. Hopefully an improvement on the previous chapters. Rating updated to M to be safe.

* * *

**2. New Threats**

(Misato's Apartment)

Misato had gathered everyone into the apartment's living room. The five pilots were there along with Kensuke and Hikari. Ritsuko was also present.

Before coming to the apartment Misato had taken Shinji, Rei and Nara to their apartment where they had quickly changed. Rei was now wearing a white dress, it was plain but compared to what she usually wore it was a considerable step up. Nara was wearing black cargo pants and a grey t-shirt and Shinji was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt.

The other two pilots, Touji and Asuka had each invited a friend. Kensuke and Hikari respectively. Touji was wearing his usual track suit and Kensuke had on his army fatigues. Asuka was wearing her yellow dress and Hikari was simply wearing her school uniform.

Misato dressed in her uniform and Ritsuko dressed in her lab coat were standing in front of the teens.

Misato glanced at Ritsuko before she began. "Now we're all here to have a good time, so I'll get the work out of the way first."

She looked at each of the pilots in turn. "You five are to report to Nerv tomorrow morning at 7am for a full day of testing." Groans from Touji and Asuka were her only response. "Hey you have a responsibility and now that all five Evas are ready it's time to start training."

Ritsuko chose that moment to speak. "I have a new training program I need to test and you have to test it."

Touji looked slightly confused. "What do you mean…'training program'."

Ritsuko smiled slightly. "You'll find out."

"Okay." Misato clapped her hands together. "I'll go start dinner."

Everyone groaned and Shinji jumped to his feet. "Don't worry Misato I'll do it." He ran into the kitchen. Rei followed him. Nara seemed to consider following but decided not to.

Misato looked slightly hurt. "My cooking's not that bad."

Asuka and Ritsuko exchanged a knowing look but said nothing.

It wasn't long until they were all sitting around the kitchen table and eating the food Shinji and Rei had prepared.

Asuka took the opportunity to declare herself the greatest pilot. "I can now hold a 100 sync ratio."

Shinji didn't look impressed. "So can I."

"But you don't have my skills so your syncing is irrelevant."

Kensuke jumped at the chance to learn more about the Eva's. "What about the others."

"Suzuhara can't even get past 78, so he's no competition. As for those two," she pointed at Rei and Nara. "I've always been better than Wondergirl and I'm sure the rookie isn't any better."

Nara laughed softly. "I may surprise you Asuka and I think Rei might too."

Asuka laughed loudly. "Yeah right, Wondergirl and Wonderboy you don't stand a chance."

"Don't call them that Asuka." Shinji's voice sounded angry.

"Why not? They both obviously think their better that the rest of us. I bet he's as much of a doll as she is."

Before Shinji could say anything in response Rei practically screamed at Asuka. "Stop calling me that, I am not a doll!!!" She slammed her hands down on the table.

Asuka was clearly shocked by Rei's response, as was everyone else in the room.

For a few minutes Rei and Asuka just stared at each other. Rei looked angry, Asuka looked confused. Everyone else just watched.

Eventually Rei returned to eating and everyone else except for Asuka followed suit.

Asuka continued to stare at Rei for almost a minute before finally starting to eat again.

The rest of the party was uneventful. The teens just hung around the living room and talked or played on the game system Kensuke had brought.

At the start Kensuke had declared himself unbeatable and beaten Touji, Asuka and Hikari. He challenged Nara and Rei to a two on one match and was devastated when he lost. Nara and Rei hit the buttons at exactly the same time allowing them to pull of some impressive double attacks. When they started to play through the games cooperative mode Shinji joined them and while Kensuke's character ran ahead Shinji, Rei and Nara performed three way manoeuvres Kensuke thought were impossible.

As Kensuke looked closer he noticed that the three teens were sitting in the same positions on the floor and were mimicking each others actions. Not only were they breathing at the same time they were also blinking at the same time.

Eventually though the party ended and the guests went home. The pilots had to get some sleep before tomorrow's tests.

(Next Day, Nerv)

The five pilots dressed in their plug suits stood with Ritsuko in a reasonable small room. Along one wall were five entry plugs with the numbers 01, 14, 15, 16 and 17 respectively printed on their front. The other wall was composed completely of a giant screen.

Ritsuko looked around proudly. "This is the Eva virtual simulation room. Basically you get in the pods and it'll be just like piloting your Evas. You'll be fighting in a virtual Tokyo-3 against some virtual Angel opponents."

"So…we'll be piloting virtual Evas." Touji's confusion was evident in his voice.

"Yes and no, the Evas in the virtual Tokyo-3 will be virtual but your plugs are connected to your actual Evas. The reason for this is that the MAGI can not accurately predict synchronisation with an Eva so you'll be syncing with the real Evas and the MAGI will then incorporate those sync-ratios into the virtual world." She motioned at the entry plugs, "This was a lot easier than building virtual suits for the Evas."

Misato walked in the door. "So let's get started, the commander and sub-commander will be here soon." She turned to the pilots. "Well…get in the plugs."

The pilots got into the entry plugs and Ritsuko initiated the simulation. While this was happening Gendo and Fuyutsuki entered the room.

Inside the pods the pilots observed the usual flashes of light and colour. They then found themselves standing on the streets of Tokyo-3 piloting their Evas.

Shinji's Unit-01 looked the same as it always had, on the outside at least. The giant purple mecha looked around at its new team mates. Asuka's Unit-14 was built from the half-eaten remains of Unit-02 and was highly similar in construction. It had the same four eyed head, the same sleek body and it was still painted red with yellow parts. Unit-14 however was slightly more advanced. On its back was what looked like a red backpack which on Asuka's mental command could deploy the Eva's large red wings. The most important feature though was the Eva's S2 organ, allowing it to operate without external power and to regenerate from damage. Touji's Unit-15 was similarly built from the remains of Unit-03 and closely resembled it, with the same head and elongated body. Like Unit-14, Unit-15 had wings (blue ones) and an S2 organ. However unlike Unit-14 Unit-15 was not painted the same colours as the original Unit-03, instead it was a dark blue with grey parts.

Unit-16 and Unit-17 were a completely different matter. They resembled no previous Eva, though they were almost identical to each other. Their bodies were basically like the other Evas with the same sort of chest piece as Unit-01 but their heads were a different matter. The most defining feature of their heads was the fact they had three eyes, the third one positioned between the usual two pushing them slightly to the side. Apart from that their heads resembled Unit-01's though lacking the horn. Both sported wing packs and contained an S2 organ. The only difference between them was their colour. Rei's Unit-16 was white with light blue parts and Nara's Unit-17 was black with dark red parts. Their wings where the same colours as their bodies, white for Unit-16 and black for Unit-17.

A large armament building rose from the ground next to the Evas containing a vast range of Eva weapons. Asuka took a progressive axe, Touji took a palette gun, Rei and Nara each took a Longinus spear but Shinji just deployed his progressive knife.

Ritsuko's voice came over the Evas' intercoms. "We'll start the battle now. You'll be up against four Angel opponents." Four large shapes appeared looming above the buildings on the other side of the city. "You'll be fighting Sachiel, Shamshiel, Israfel and Bardiel." The intercom cut off.

"Shit we have to take on four Angels." Touji sounded anything but confidant.

"Calm down Suzuhara there's five of us," Asuka responded.

"Yeah until Israfel splits."

"Oh…right."

Rei activated her intercom. "Do not worry, we will take care of Israfel." Unit-16 started running towards the distant figure, followed closely by Unit-17.

"Heh wait up." Unit-14 took off towards the Angels as did Unit-15 and Unit-01.

It wasn't long before Rei and Nara were confronted by the large form of the 7th Angel.

Rei spoke to Nara through the Eva's intercom system. "If we work together it will be easier to defeat Israfel."

"Agreed."

Israfel fired its eye-blast at them but the Evas simply jumped to the side and avoided the attack. Then they struck. Rei swung her spear sideways at the Angel's chest making it jump backwards and then Nara swung his spear in an overhead arc catching the Angel off guard and splitting it neatly in two. As the two half's shuddered and reformed into two separate Angels the two Evas retreated several steps.

The two new Angels fired simultaneous blasts at the Evas both of which expertly dodged. Before the Angels could attack again Rei and Nara threw their spears, which morphed into lance form and streaked towards the Angels. Caught off guard both Angels cores where punctured by the lances and immediately went critical.

The resulting explosion levelled a large part of Tokyo-3.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Shinji found himself in a similar position to what he'd been in when he really fought Sachiel. He'd broken one of its arms and knocked it to the ground, so that he was now kneeling on top of it.

The difference was this time he was holding a progressive knife. Raising the knife above the Eva's head Shinji brought it down with all of Unit-01's strength and drove it into Sachiel's core. The force behind the blow was so great that Sachiel's core literally shattered under the impact.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Asuka was engaged in a battle with Shamshiel. She'd already managed to sever one of its tentacles with her axe and was now trying to get close enough to hit its core while avoiding the second tentacle.

As Asuka made another lunge forward, Shamshiel wiped its tentacle around and drove it through Unit-14's chest. Asuka screamed in pain but didn't lose site of her goal, she was now close enough. She swung her axe around and brought it down on Shamshiel's core splitting it in two.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Touji was not enjoying this. Of all the Angels to run into it had to be Bardiel. It was basically a possessed Unit-03 with a few special extra abilities.

When he first saw it Touji had deployed Unit-15's wings. Only to have Bardiel extend its arms forward and grab onto them. Before Touji could even react it simply twisted and broke both wings. Screaming Touji had opened fire with his palette gun. Bardiel's arms had retracted and it had raised it's AT field but not before several shots got through.

Having run out of ammo Touji was now trying to keep his distance from the Angel. Bardiel's arms shot forward and attempted to grab onto Unit-15 but Touji just managed to dodge. Before Bardiel could retract its arms Touji deployed his progressive knife and charged.

Driving the knife into Bardiel's torso he pulled up with all the Eva's strength, leaving a long vertical slash up the Angel's chest. He finished by driving his knife to the hilt into Bardiel's jaw putting the blade straight through Bardiel's head.

The Angel however did not die. Its arms retracted and latched onto Unit-15's arms. Touji could feel Bardiel trying to fuse with his Eva. Before he lost the strength in his arms he plunged them into Bardiel's chest through the cut he had made. Grabbing as many internal organs as he could, he squeezed. Bardiel howled in pain and released Unit-15's arms. Touji continued to crush Bardiel's internal organs ignoring the blood that squirted over his Eva. Bardiel (howling uncontrollable) began to beat at Unit-15's shoulders and head before finally grabbing its neck and beginning to squeeze, but it was already too late. With one last pull Touji yanked out some of Bardiel's internal organs and the Angel finally collapsed.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Ritsuko was looking over the results displayed on the screen. "That's amazing. All four Angels down in only 2 minutes 12 seconds."

Misato stood beside Ritsuko, also looking at the screen. "And look at their sync ratios, all except Touji hit 100."

"WHAT!!!??" Asuka ran over to look at the screen. "Those two hit 100, no way." She looked at Rei and Nara who appeared to be talking to Shinji. "It's bad enough the baka can get 100, now Wondergirl and Wonderboy can too."

Touji was reading his results on the screen. "2 minutes 12 seconds. Hey! I hit 78.5 on my sync ratio, that's a new personal best."

"Which still puts you 21.5 behind the rest of us."

"Shut up Asuka."

Ritsuko cleared her throat to get the pilots' attention. "Follow me, we have some more conventional tests to conduct." She started towards the exit, following Gendo and Fuyutsuki out the door. Misato and the pilots followed close behind.

The rest of the day was spent doing tests on synchronisation. The pilots were tested on how well they synched with their Evas and how well they synched with each other. They were also tested in the other Evas to see if they could sync with them.

The results were both good and bad. In terms of synching with their Evas all the pilots except for Touji could hold 100 and Touji managed to reach 79. In terms of synching with each other it was a little more mixed. Shinji and Rei could synchronise perfectly and Nara could synchronise to either or both to an extremely high extent, not perfectly but close enough. Touji was capable of synching reasonably well with Shinji, Rei and Nara though not to the same extent they could sync with each other. However Asuka was a problem. She could sync with Shinji and Touji but not very well and when it came to Rei and Nara she couldn't sync at all. Unit-01, Unit-16 and Unit-17 simply refused to sync with anyone but their pilot. Even Rei having synched with Unit-01 before was unable to open a link to the giant purple mecha. Attempts with Unit-14 and Unit-15 proved more successful though the sync ratios were too low to make their use by other pilots a valid plan.

As the testing finished Nara walked over to Ritsuko who was going over the results of the tests. "Doctor Akagi, I believe I can be of assistance to you."

"Oh…how?"

"You're training program, I can help you improve it. I know exactly how the 3rd to 15th Angels work."

Ritsuko smiled at him. "Of course, why didn't I think of that? With your help we can improve the current Angels and add more."

Nara smiled mischievously.

(3 hours later, The Apartment)

Nara walked through the door into the apartment.

"Where have you been?" Rei and Shinji were standing in front of him.

"Were you guys trying to say that at the same time or did it just happen that way."

Both of the implied narrowed their eyes dangerously.

"I was just helping Ritsuko with her training program, since she was trying to create virtual copies of the Angels I assimilated. Which reminds me Ritsuko wants to talk to you two tomorrow. She wants to create virtual copies of Adam and Lilith."

Shinji visible calmed down. "Oh, okay," he looked at his watch, "time for dinner."

(Next Day, Tokyo-3 High School)

Shinji and Rei were sitting together on the roof talking quietly. Nara was leaning against the rail nearby, half-asleep.

Touji and Kensuke walked over to Nara.

Touji looked at Nara's half-closed eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

Nara yawned. "Need…sleep."

Kensuke gave him a sympathetic look. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"Like an hour."

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Rei and Shinji had a fight."

Touji spoke next. "They argued all night."

"No, they only argued for about half an hour."

"Then why couldn't you sleep."

Nara gave them both a wry smile. "It wasn't them breaking up that keep me awake, it was them making up."

Kensuke started blushing profusely. "You don't mean?"

Nara nodded. "They're really loud."

Touji and Kensuke were both blushing. Touji looked at his friend. "We shouldn't have asked."

Kensuke nodded. "I really didn't want to know that."

"Know what?" Shinji's voice caused both Touji and Kensuke to jump.

Touji turned to Shinji, who along with Rei had walked up behind them. "Err…nothing, nothing at all."

Rei looked sceptical. "Nara what did you tell them?"

"Nothing sis, just talking."

An idea suddenly dawned on Rei and her eyes narrowed in anger. "You told them, didn't you?"

"Told them what?" Nara new she wouldn't answer him.

Shinji looked closely at Nara. "You did, didn't you?"

Nara shrugged. "They asked why I was tired and I answered truthfully."

Shinji blushed scarlet and Rei followed suit, though her blush was tinged pink.

"Way to go Shin-man." Kensuke clapped his friend on the shoulder.

Shinji didn't respond he just turned and walked away, too embarrassed to say anything. Rei shot an angry glare at Nara then followed Shinji.

Touji glanced uncertainly at the retreating teens and then at Nara. "Umm…have they, you know…done it before?"

Nara seemed to consider his answer. "Yes, they've had sex two other times before now…that I know of at least."

Touji blushed more at Nara's statement, it was the first time anyone had actually used that word. Though Touji had already been pretty sure of what Nara was talking about, confirmation stilled shocked him a little. "You don't err…watch them do you?"

It was Nara's turn to look shocked. "Hell no, why would I do that. What sort of perverted freak are you."

Kensuke smirked slightly. "It's a legitimate question."

Nara looked at them like they'd lost their minds. "Why the hell would I want to watch my _sister_ having sex with Shinji?"

Kensuke looked completely embarrassed. "Oh right...I forgot about that."

Nara just shook his head and walked towards the stairs.

Touji caught up to him at the top of the stairs. "Heh, aren't you annoyed at Shinji."

"No, why would I be?"

"Because he did your sister. If someone did my sister I'd show them whose boss." He made a fist.

Nara thought about it. After a few seconds he smiled. "I like my sister having a relationship with Shinji. She is happy with him and he with her. And seeing them happy makes me happy."

Touji smiled. "Well in that case I'm happy for them too."

"Yeah me too." Kensuke walked up behind Touji.

Any further conversation was cut of as the school bell rang and the three teens ran to class.

(After School, Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Ritsuko stood in front of the five pilots as she addressed them. "Okay, I've increased the difficulty of the training program. The number of Angels has increased from four to nine."

Touji gulped audible, "Ni…nine?"

"What's the matter Suzuhara, scared?" Asuka gave Touji a superior look.

Before Touji could respond Ritsuko interrupted. "On the up side you'll receive tactical backup from Major Katsuragi and Tokyo-3's automated defences will be utilised against the Angels."

Misato stepped forward. "This time I decide what weapons you use and where you're deployed on the battlefield, I'll also designate your targets. Now get in the plugs."

The pilots entered the plugs and were greeted with the usual flashes of light and colour before it cleared to show part of Nerv. More specifically they were now in their Evas and attached to the catapults that would take them to the surface.

Misato's voice came over the intercom. "Okay, Touji you're being armed with the new high impact shield and the new Eva heavy machine gun." The said items appeared in Unit-15's hands, a large shield similar to that used by Unit-00 against Ramiel and a large machine gun with an ammo stream leading to a pack attached just above Unit-15's wing pack.

Misato moved onto the next two pilots. "Rei, Nara, you're both being armed with Longinus spears." The weapons appeared in Unit-16's and Unit-17's hands.

Misato turned her attention to the second last pilot. "Asuka you're being armed with dual progressive axes." A progressive axe appeared in each of Unit-14's hands.

"All right, this will be fun." Asuka gave the axes an experimental spin.

Misato ignored her and moved onto the final pilot. "Shinji you'll be using the Lancea Longini." The giant weapon materialised in Unit-01's hands.

Shinji didn't comment on the choice but Asuka did. "Heh, why does he get that? The best weapon should go to the best pilot."

Misato just smiled. "Stop complaining Asuka and get ready for battle. Are you guys ready?"

"Ready," came the reply from all five pilots.

"Okay then, Evas launch."

There was the sound of machinery powering up and then the Evas were sent hurtling towards the surface, each following a specifically set route.

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Unit-14 emerged from the building it had been placed in by the catapult that had brought it to the surface. It was in one of Tokyo-3's residential zones, surrounded by low lying buildings. What drew Asuka's attention however was the giant form of Israfel looming over the buildings.

A small screen opened in front of Asuka, showing her Misato's face. "Asuka, your first target is Israfel, take it down and take it down quickly."

"Can do." Unit-14 took of towards Israfel.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

No sooner had Unit-15 reached the surface than it was fired upon by Ramiel. Touji just managed to raise the shield in time to block the blast. "Misato what do I do?"

Misato's calm voice came over the intercom. "Neutralise its AT field and take it out with your machine gun."

"But I'm too far away."

"Then get closer."

Touji tried to protest but Misato cut the connection.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Rei found herself deployed on the city outskirts. Unit-16 rose to its full height and looked around itself.

Rei's attention was drawn to the intercom as Misato's voice came over it. "Rei, advance down the street and intercept Sachiel. Destroy it."

"Understood." Unit-16 took of at a run down the street towards the now visible form of Sachiel.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Unit-17 was deployed on a large hill in the industrial zone. Nara immediately noticed the spider-like Matariel approaching him. There was no need for confirmation from Misato. This was his target and there was only one thought in his mind. 'Too easy.'

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Unit-01 was already engaged with Shamshiel. The Angel had been waiting when Unit-01 reached the surface. Shinji had only just had enough time to dodge Shamshiel's first tentacle strike. Now Shinji was deflecting Shamshiel's tentacles with the Lancea Longini.

Shamshiel's left tentacle slashed forward, neatly cutting a nearby building in two before hurtling towards Unit-01. Shinji side-stepped and brought up the Lancea Longini. However instead of striking at the tentacle in front of him he swung the Lancea backwards, neatly severing Shamsiel's right tentacle which had been driving towards Unit-01's back.

Shamshiel recoiled as its tentacle fell to the ground. Unit-01 leaped forward raising its massive weapon above its head.

Shamshiel raised its one remaining tentacle to protect itself but it was no use. The Lancea cleaved straight through the tentacle and Shamshiel's body. Splitting the Angel (along with its core) in two.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Asuka was busy fighting off the attacks of the two Angels attacking her. Israfel had split shortly into the battle. Ever since then Asuka had been trying to get into a position where she could hit both their cores at the same time.

Unit-14 leaped backwards to avoid an eye-blast fired by one of the Angels and swiftly ducked to avoid the follow-up slash from the other Angel.

Asuka saw her chance and stepped around the second Angel positioning her Eva between it and the first. Raising her progressive axes she threw them both to the sides.

The second Angel turned just in time to have one of the axes embed itself in its core at the exact same time that the other axe embedded itself in the first Angel's core.

Asuka smiled victoriously. "Piece of cake."

Misato's face once again appeared on her view screen. "Then how do you explain all the structural damage your Eva's taken."

Asuka frowned at her. "Big deal it's only minor damage, my S2 organ can repair it in seconds." Even as she spoke her Eva's wounds were closing and the amour was repairing itself.

"Ok Asuka, move into the central city and await further orders."

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Rei's battle with Sachiel had been short and to the point. As soon as Unit-16 had been in sight, Sachiel had fired its arm-beam at it. Rei however had skilfully dodged the blast and followed up by driving her spear through Sachiel's core.

As soon as Sachiel had fallen Misato's face had appeared on Rei's view screen. "Rei, Zeruel is approaching your location, get ready for combat."

"Understood." The words had barely left Rei's lips when the building to her right exploded outwards, revealing the monstrous form of Zeruel, the Angel of might. Before Rei could even react Zeruel's right arm flashed out and neatly severed Unit-16's left arm.

Unfortunately for Rei the virtual program had pain simulators so she felt all the pain of the arm being severed.

Bringing Unit-16's right arm around, Rei attempted to skewer Zeruel with her Longinus Spear.

However before the spear reached its target Zeruel fired an eye-blast directly into Unit-16's chest, blasting it into a nearby building.

As Zeruel advanced on the fallen Unit-16, Rei attempted to regain her footing but just as she was about to lever herself up a powerful explosion shook the ground and Unit-16 collapsed once more.

The last thing Rei saw was one of Zeruel's arms hurtling towards her face before she was disconnected from the simulator.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Matariel hadn't even been able to land a single hit on Unit-17. Nara had simply jumped on top of it and drove his spear straight through its body and its core. Since Matariel's only attack was to discreet acid from its eyes, there was nothing it could do.

Nara's victory was sort lived however as Misato's voice screamed over the intercom and her distressed face appeared on his view screen. "Nara, look out!!"

Without even looking Nara jumped to the side and was rewarded as one end of Armisael flashed by, narrowly missing Unit-17. The end turned back and dove towards Unit-17 again. Nara quickly deployed his wings and flew over the top of the Angel.

Unit-17 was fast but unfortunately Armisael was faster. Just as Nara swooped around another strike, Armisael's other end struck Unit-17's back and stuck fast. Unit-17 came crashing down to the ground, now firmly attached to the offending Angel.

Nara struggled in vain to fight off the Angel but he knew it was hopeless. He knew exactly how Armisael worked and his only chance of survival was to receive some back-up. The others however were occupied and Nara new there was only one other way to kill this Angel.

Nara got out of his seat and reached around behind it. He wondered wether he'd be able to bring himself to do this in real life as Rei had. It didn't matter though; this was only virtual so the choice was simple. Nara pulled on the handle behind the seat and both Unit-17's S2 organ and core went critical.

A moment latter Unit-17 erupted in raw nuclear fury creating a huge crater and shaking the entire city. Nara was disconnected from the simulator.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Misato swore as she looked at the screen. "Damn it, we've lost both Rei and Nara and Touji still hasn't defeated Ramiel."

Ritsuko was looking thoughtfully at a small video screen in the corner of the larger screen. It showed Zeruel being fired upon by several of Nerv's automated defences but apparently sustaining no damage. "Maya," she looked at her younger assistant standing on her right. "Divert all power to the advanced positron rifle."

Maya keyed in some commands and all the weapons in the virtual world shut down. At the same time a very long gun rose from a mountain top just outside the city. "The rifle is ready ma'am."

Ritsuko smiled slightly. "Lock onto Ramiel and prepare to fire."

Maya keyed in some more commands and the rifle began to power up.

Misato looked over at Ritsuko. "What is that? We don't have that weapon."

Ritsuko's smile broadened. "Actually we do, we just completed it. I thought I might as well test it in the virtual Tokyo-3."

Maya looked up from her console. "Weapon locked-on and fully charged."

Misato beat Ritsuko to the punch. "Fire!!"

The mountain visibly shook as the rifle fired. A thin beam of energy lanced towards Ramiel. Several buildings blocked its path but the beam sliced through them like they weren't even there.

When the beam reached Ramiel it encountered the Angel's AT field and tore threw it puncturing the Angel's core and destroying it.

The beam didn't stop their however. It continued on, slicing neatly through another mountain before finally dissipating.

Maya looked up at Ritsuko. "Angel silenced."

Misato looked at Maya. "What's the status of Unit-15?"

"Its shield has been almost completely destroyed and its sustained heavy structural damage."

Misato opened a channel to Unit-15. "Touji?"

"Yes, Major."

"Drop your shield, it's useless now. Then I want you to deploy your wings and go to Asuka's position."

"Yes, ma'am." The com link closed.

Misato looked at the screen and started thinking out loud. "So we've destroyed Shamshiel, Israfel, Sachiel, Matariel, Armisael and Ramiel. Unit-01 is closing in on Zeruel and both Unit-14 and Unit-15 are moving to catch Sahaqiel. Wait, that's only eight we're missing one. Oh shit, where's Bardiel!!"

Ritsuko chuckled softly. "The Bardiel in the original simulation wasn't really accurate, so I altered it a bit. Now it's in its true form."

Misato's eyes widened as she realised what that meant. "So there's something out there that can posses an Eva."

Ritsuko watched as a green dot on the city map at the top of the screen turned red. "Not anymore."

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Touji had lost control of his Eva. He'd dived under a low lying cloud only to have it follow him down, engulfing his Eva when he tried to land. What Touji was only now realising was that the cloud must have been Bardiel but it was far too late.

Unit-15 was still approaching Unit-14's position but Touji was no longer in control. The Eva had thrown away its machine gun, tearing of the ammo pack in the process and damaging the wing backpack.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Asuka had reached her target position and was now involved in a conversation with Misato. "What do you mean, it's been possessed."

"Unit-15 has been possessed by Bardiel; Touji no longer has any control. Ritsuko has disconnected him from the simulator."

"So, I have to destroy Unit-15?"

"Don't worry it's badly damaged it shouldn't be too hard to beat."

Asuka signed. "So there's only two of us left." She prepared herself for combat.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Unit-01 was closing in on Zeruel's position. Shinji had received word of Rei & Nara's destruction and the possession of Unit-15. He knew he had to take this Angel down fast.

There it was. Shinji could see Zeruel at the end of the street. It appeared to be blasting a hole through the ground. Just as Unit-01 reached it, it jumped into the hole and after a moment of indecision Shinji followed.

Angel and Eva fell down towards the Geo-front. Zeruel supported by its AT field landed smoothly. Unit-01 landed with a thunderous crash, cracking the ground around it and going into a crouch position.

Unfortunately when it hit the ground Unit-01 dropped the Lancea Longini and before it could pick it up it was charged by Zeruel.

The two behemoths went crashing to the ground and Zeruel brought up its arms to strike.

Before the blows could fall however Shinji brought up Unit-01's legs and kicked Zeruel off of him. As Unit-01 regained its footing Zeruel landed and launched both arms forward. Shinji raised his Eva's arms to protect himself.

In a similar fashion to when it had wrapped up Unit-01's head in their real battle Zeruel encased both of Unit-01's hands and forearms with its arms.

Unit-01 was lifted into the air and slammed into the ground then lifted again. Before Zeruel could bring the Eva down again Shinji yanked both arms back with all his Eva's strength. The result was Zeruel flying over his head and crashing to the ground releasing Unit-01 in the process, causing the Eva to fall to the ground.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Unit-14 was standing on one side of a square. Facing it on the other side was the possessed and badly damaged Unit-15.

Asuka knew she had the advantage. She had two progressive axes and her wings still worked but this was still going to be a tough fight.

Unit-15 lunged forward its arms snaking out towards Unit-14, extending beyond their usual length. Asuka dodged the left arm and brought one of her axes down on the right, severing the hand. Bardiel howled as blood spurted from the wound. Asuka pushed her advantage and rushed in towards the possessed Eva bringing both axes up in front of her.

As Asuka swung her axes Bardiel brought up its left hand and caught one of the axes, flinging it aside but the second axe dug deep into Bardiel's left shoulder.

As Bardiel once again lunged forward trying to tackle Unit-14 to the ground, Asuka deployed her Eva's wings and flew out of reach. Unit-14 landed next to its second axe and picked it up before once again taking to the skies. Bardiel launched its remaining hand towards the attacking Eva but missed as Unit-14 made a sudden turn.

Taking careful aim Asuka threw one of her axes. Her aim was good and the spinning axe decapitated the distracted Angel. Immediately following this Unit-14 landed in front of the headless Angel and drove its second axe into Bardiel chest and Unit-15's S2 organ.

The Angel crumbled to the ground taking the axe with it. Asuka smiled in victory.

Misato's voice came over the intercom. "Asuka, heads up!!"

Asuka looked up to see the giant form of Sahagiel falling directly towards her. Just in time she raised her Eva's hands, extending its AT field and stopping the Angel before it hit. Unfortunately from this position she couldn't hit the Angel's core and until Shinji defeated Zeruel, she had no back-up.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

The defeated pilots had been released from their pods and were observing the ongoing battles on the screen. Nara and Rei were standing perfectly still, without a hint of expression on their faces. Touji was watching them curiously. After a while he decided to speak. "So…looks like the Ayanamis came last."

Neither Nara nor Rei responded but a faint hint of annoyance showed briefly on both their faces. Misato chuckled slightly.

Rei finally spoke. "It would appear that Shinji has the advantage."

Touji looked at the part of screen monitoring Unit-01's battle with Zeruel. Shinji had somehow gotten on top of the Angel and was beating the holy hell out of it.

That's when it happened. Asuka's Eva had been losing strength slowly as the weight of the Angel was crushing it. Even reinforced constantly by its S2 organ, it couldn't last forever. With one last push Sahaqiel broke through Unit-14's AT field and struck the ground.

The resulting explosion spread throughout the entire virtual Tokyo-3. Unit-01 and Zeruel were engulfed in white light. Asuka was disconnected from the simulator.

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

The white light cleared to reveal a giant crater. Its edges could not be seen as the full crater would have been much larger than the virtual Tokyo-3.

Standing near the middle of the crater were Unit-01 and Zeruel. The two just stood facing each other in the middle of that total destruction. Then Unit-01 reached down and picked up something from the blasted terrain. The Lancea Longini.

Zeruel jumped at Unit-01 extending its arms out but it was too late. Shinji brought Unit-01's arm back and threw the Lancea at the approaching Angel. The Lancea became a streak of light and passed effortlessly through Zeruel's AT field and body, completely destroying its core. The Angel's arms never reached their target. Shinji was disconnected from the simulator.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Shinji emerged from his pod in time to hear Ritsuko's lecture to the pilots. "Well congratulations thanks to your efforts Shinji is the only inhabitant of Tokyo-3 left alive."

Asuka looked annoyed. "It's not fair, how could I possible defeat Sahagiel by myself?"

Misato coughed slightly. "Aren't you being a little harsh on them Ritsuko."

Ritsuko sniffed. "No," she turned to the pilots. "Testing is finished you may go home."

(Tokyo-3)

The five pilots were walking along the same road, away from Nerv headquarters.

Asuka was busy insulting Touji. "Well Suzuhara, not only did you fail to kill any Angels but you managed to get your Eva possessed."

Touji was getting more annoyed by the second. "Asuka, just shut up."

Asuka laughed. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings."

"It's okay Touji she can't keep it up for ever." Shinji clapped his friend on the shoulder as he started down a side street towards his apartment.

Nara and Rei followed him both saying something to Touji as they passed.

Nara smiled at him. "Just ignore her."

Rei smiled as well. "You didn't do that badly."

"Thanks." Touji waved at the departing teens. Asuka just sniffed.

(That Night, Outside The Apartment)

Several shadowy figures were talking.

"Okay everyone you know your assignments."

"Yeah we know lets get on with it."

"You two better get going now."

"Alright make sure you're at the meeting site at the right time."

(The Apartment, Rei's Room)

Rei was lying face down on her bed. Her eyes were closed but she wasn't asleep. There were other things that she'd rather be doing right now but it'd been a long day and she needed her sleep, as did Shinji.

A faint footstep drew her attention. Someone was in her room and approaching her bed. If it was Shinji or Nara they would have said something but this person said nothing. Who could it be?

Rei's thoughts were interrupted as something cold and hard was pressed against the back of her head.

Rei's reaction was to activate her AT field and slip it between her head and the object. Next she reached out with her mind and touched the thoughts of the room's other occupant.

She struggled to keep from gasping out loud when she discovered the object pressed against her head was a gun and the man holding it intended to kill her.

Her search through the man's thoughts was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot somewhere else in the apartment followed closely by another.

Although Rei couldn't see it the man smiled. "Looks like the other two are done and now it's my turn." He pulled the trigger.

The man was very surprised when the bullet came out the back of the gun instead of the front. His surprise however was cut short as the bullet went into his forehead. His dead body fell to the floor.

Rei calmly got up and looked at the man's body. She heard another gunshot resinate through the apartment and walked out of the room towards its source.

(The Apartment, Shinji's Room)

Shinji stared emotionlessly at the man at the other end of the gun barrel. Carefully he probed the man's mind noting his fear. Shinji looked at the gun in his hand, currently pointing at the man's forehead.

Whoever this man was he had tried to sneak up on Shinji but had failed miserable. Shinji had known he was there as soon as the man entered the room. When the man had come close enough Shinji had lashed out with his AT field knocking the man off balance and spinning around he had grabbed the gun from the man's hand, using his AT field to pry the fingers open. At that time he had heard two distinctive gunshots in a row from elsewhere in the apartment.

As Shinji withdrew from the man's mind he heard a third gunshot go off.

The man gulped and appeared to finally find his voice. "Please don't ki…"

Shinji pulled the trigger. The man collapsed. Dead.

Shinji was examining the body as Rei entered the room.

They looked at each other and smiled. Then the same thought crossed both their minds. "Nara!" They left the room at a run.

(The Apartment, Nara's Room)

Nara's would be assassin hadn't tried to sneak up on the boy. When he entered the room Nara was standing facing the door, looking straight at him.

Instead of wasting time the man had immediately took aim and pulled the trigger. The bullet however changed course in mid-air, reflecting off Nara's AT field and driving into the man's left knee. Crying out in pain the man had pulled the trigger again by reflex.

The second bullet faired no better than the first driving into the man's right knee. Holding in screams the man collapsed, dropping his gun in the process.

Nara stepped over to him and picked up his gun, squatting in front of the man and casually aiming the gun at the man's head. "Why are you here?"

The man said nothing.

Nara used his AT field on the bullets in the man's knees pushing them in deeper.

Tears of pain rolled down the man's face and he whimpered slightly.

Nara grabbed his face and turned it so that he was looking directly into the man's eyes.

"Why are you here?"

The man whimpered out his response. "To kill you."

"Why?"

"Me and the others were hired to kill the Eva children."

The sound of a gunshot resinated through the apartment. Nara listened for a few moments and heard the sound of a second gunshot. He turned back to the man. "How many?"

"Five. One for each pilot."

"I see." Nara rose so he was standing over the man. "Goodbye." He fired a shot into the man's head.

Rei and Shinji entered the room and looked at the body.

Nara looked at them. "Asuka and Touji are in trouble."

Shinji pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket. "I'll call my father."

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo was distracted from his thoughts as his secure cell-phone started to ring. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID. 'Why was his son calling him?'

He answered the call and raised the phone to his ear. "Yes?"

"Commander, we have a problem."

"What sort of problem?"

"Three assassins just tried to kill us."

"WHAT!! What happened?"

"We killed them but there's two more. They're going after Asuka and Touji."

We some difficulty Gendo managed to compose himself. "Okay, I'll take care of this. An eraser team will be arriving at your apartment to…clean up."

"Understood." Shinji cut the connection.

Gendo immediately dialled a new number. He had to act quickly.

(Misato's Apartment)

Misato had just got off the phone. The commander had informed her of the approaching assassin. It hadn't been hard to convince Asuka to stay up watching TV. Misato had acted like she was letting Asuka do what she wanted and Asuka had jumped at the chance. Misato was now wheeling the TV into Asuka's room under Asuka's 'direction'.

Misato was happy with the arrangement. Asuka's room only had one entrance so Misato simply positioned herself in a closet across the hall with the door slightly ajar so she could watch Asuka's door.

She waited for several minutes before she heard the faint sounds of the front door being forced open. Still hiding in the closet she heard the sounds of the assassin's footsteps almost drowned out by the sounds of the TV.

The man reached the door and reached to open it. Before his hand even reached the door he froze feeling something pressed up against his back. He knew what it was.

Misato whispered quietly in his ear. "Don't say a word, you're coming with me."

The man allowed himself to be more or less pushed out of the apartment and handed over his gun. Misato took him to the street where a car with the Nerv logo pulled up to the curb, several Nerv agents getting out. They grabbed the man and forced him into the car driving off into the night.

Misato headed back to the apartment and the phone inside. She had to know if the others were alright.

(Outside Touji's House)

The assassin assigned to the 4th Child stalked through the shadows towards his targets house. What he didn't know is that he was being followed by another assassin, this one working for Gendo Ikari.

Just as the assassin was about to make his final dash to the house, the man known only as Shadow struck. Seeming to form out of the shadows themselves he drove his wickedly bladed knife into the man's heart removing it in the same swift movement.

Grabbing the body before it even hit the ground, the assassin disappeared into the shadows.

(Next Day, Tokyo-3 High School)

The five children, Kensuke and Hikari were talking on the roof. Currently Asuka was explaining yesterday's simulation to Hikari. "Of course Wondergirl and Wonderboy died pretty quickly and then that idiot Suzuhara got his Eva possessed."

The other pilots and Kensuke were ignoring her. Shinji was sitting with his back to a tree and Rei was lying down, leaning against him with her head resting on his chest. Nara was standing next to them with his back against the tree and Touji and Kensuke were sitting on a nearby bench, directly opposite to the bench Asuka and Hikari were sitting on.

Nara was looking directly at Touji. "You do anything last night?"

Touji looked surprised by the question. "No…why would you ask that?"

"No, reason I'm just bored. Wanted to talk about something." Nara pointed at Shinji and Rei, "These two aren't really paying attention right now."

Kensuke laughed. "Yeah they're in their own little world."

Mentally Nara signed in relief. He felt Rei and Shinji do the same thing. From Asuka's conversation choice and Touji's response it would seem neither had encountered the assassins. The commander must have got to them first.

The rest of the day passed without incident. That is until school finished.

Shinji and Rei were about to walk out the gate when some big, burly boys grabbed them from behind. Shinji found himself slammed against a wall by one bully, while the other two (one of them holding Rei) stood back and watched.

The bully smiled menacingly. "Okay little man, give us your money or you and the girl will regret it."

Shinji's face betrayed no emotion. "Let her go."

The bullies just laughed.

With amazing speed Shinji's arm shot up and grabbed onto the bully's throat. He lifted the bully off the ground.

Shinji moved his face forward so it was just in front of the bully's. He smiled menacingly, "Wrong answer."

Bringing his arm back, Shinji threw the bully a full ten meters across the school yard.

At the same time Rei flipped around in the grip off the bully holding her and kicked him in the face knocking him back a few metres before he collapsed on the ground. She landed neatly on her feet.

The third bully moved his arm back to strike. He took one step forward before he stopped looking back to see what had caught his arm. It was Nara.

As the bully turned to confront him Nara let go of his arm and punched his stomach, once but with enough strength to stop the bully cold. Falling to his knees and clutching his stomach the bully fell over sideways, lying on the ground moaning in pain.

Nara stepped over the bully to join his friends. All three smiled and left the school yard. They didn't notice everyone staring at them as they left or the incredulous looks on their faces.

(That Night, The Apartment)

Shinji was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling. He was thinking about all that happened to him lately. He was no longer fully human, he'd changed, even his personality. He'd killed someone yesterday and today he was deliberately violent. He didn't know wether he liked these changes. One change he knew he liked though was that he now had Rei in his life, as more than just a friend.

As he thought about Rei, the girl entered his room and looked at him lying there. "Shin-chan?"

Shinji looked over at her and smiled slightly. "Yes, Rei-chan?"

"I'm cold."

Shinji didn't say anything, he just shifted over. Rei walked over to the bed and lay down next to him moving into a position she found comfortable. When she had finished, her legs were hooked over Shinji's and her arms were around his waist. Her head rested on his chest using it as a pillow.

Shinji brought his arms up around her slender body, cradling her against him. Neither of them was cold anymore as new warmth rushed through them.

Rei signed in contentment. "Shin-chan, who do you think those assassins worked for."

"I don't know Rei-chan, but whoever it was they want us dead."

Rei held Shinji a little tighter. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Shinji kissed the top of her head. "And I won't let anything happen to you."

Rei pulled her head up and the two kissed each others lips. The kiss lasted for several seconds before they finally broke off.

Rei returned her head to Shinji's chest. "I love you, Shin-chan."

"I love you more, Rei-chan." Shinji pulled the sheets over both of them.

The two fell asleep in each other's arms.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Gendo walked onto his observation platform and sat behind his desk. He looked at the bridge crew working below, scurrying around as alarms went off everywhere. "Report."

Lieutenant Aoba stopped and looked up at him. "The MAGI have detected an Angel sir. Approaching the city from the north."

"Put everyone on immediate stand-by and contact the Eva pilots. Get them here."

(10 Minutes Later, Commander's Office)

Shinji, Rei and Nara stood in front of the commander's desk. The commander looked very annoyed. "You told me there would be no more Angels."

Shinji remained expressionless as he answered. "There should not have been, it shouldn't be possible. There are no more Angels."

"Well the MAGI say differently and they have visual confirmation."

A visual image of the approaching Angel appeared behind the commander. It looked surprisingly like an Eva, but without any armour. It had black skin and its head had only one red eye and no mouth or nose. It was incredible tall and thin, almost twice the height of the Evas. Its arms stretched down to the ground and ended in five clawed talons.

Nara calmly observed the image as it walked forward. "That Angel should not exist, I do not recognize it."

Rei spoke as well. "Neither do I."

Shinji nodded in agreement.

The commander looked at the screen as several alarms went off around Central Dogma. "It has entered the safety perimeter. Get to your Evas immediately."

The three pilots turned to leave but before they exited, Gendo called out again. "Shinji, I need you to take your Eva down to Terminal Dogma and retrieve the Lancea Longini."

Shinji didn't turn around and uttered only one word. "Understood."

(Tokyo-3, Battlefield)

The four Evas rose majestically to the surface. Unit-14, Unit-15, Unit-16 and Unit-17. Facing the imposing form of the attacking Angel. Armed with the same weapons they had used in the simulator.

Unperturbed, the Angel continued to approach at the same steady pace.

As soon as the Angel came within range Touji opened fire with his machine gun. The Angel was soon totally obscured by dark smoke. Nothing could be seen for several seconds then the Angel emerged from the smoke. It was still walking at the same steady pace and showed absolutely no sigh of damage.

Asuka yelled at Touji over the intercom. "Baka, don't you know you have neutralise the AT field first."

"I was trying, it's just too strong."

"Well try harder." Unti-14 took off towards the Angel.

Misato spoke over the intercom. "Asuka, stay back."

"Oh, come on I can take it." Unit-14 leapt towards the Angel, raising both axes above its head. But before it reached the Angel it was stopped by a giant glowing hexagon. The Angel's AT field. The impact knocked Unit-14 off balance and before it could right itself the Angel hit it with both fists sending it flying into a nearby building.

Touji had been running to back up Asuka but he stopped and turned when her Eva went flying. It was a big mistake; as soon as he was distracted the Angel stepped forward and grabbed his Eva's neck. It squeezed; the claws of its talon going right through Unit-15's neck and the Eva's head came off. Touji slumped in his chair, losing consciousness.

The Angel turned to face Units 16 & 17 and started to advance once more. It got to within a hundred metres and stopped moving. Facing off against the two, three eyed Evas.

Unlike the other pilots Rei and Nara stood there and waited. Shinji would be arriving soon and Unit-14 was starting to get up. They'd have a better chance with better numbers.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Unit-01 stepped into the LCL lake. Lilith was gone though the cross still stood in the lake's middle. Without a source of more LCL the lake was slowly drying up.

Shinji's target, the Lancea Longini stood leaning against the cross. Unit-01 crossed the intervening space and picked up the Lancea, heading back towards the lift that would take it to the surface.

(Tokyo-3, Surface)

Unit-14 was just beginning to rise when the Angel made its attack. Both of its arms snapped up and a beam of energy lanced out from each, straight towards Units 16 & 17.

Nara and Rei both threw up their AT fields at maximum power. The beams reached the AT fields. And shot through them like they weren't even there.

The sound of Rei and Nara's screams filled the intercom channel as their Evas chests exploded outwards splashing blood across the city.

Misato's voice could be heard yelling over the intercom. "Eject the entry plugs. Get them out of there now. And where the hell is Unit-01."

Everything happened at the same time. Unit-14 finally stood up and then froze still. Unit 16 and Unit 17 both ejected their entry plugs but a few moments too late. The Angel (now standing in front of the damaged Evas) raised it arms with unbelievable speed and snatched both entry plugs out of the air. Everyone stoped breathing. At that exact time Unit-01 reached the surface. Shinji took one look at the entry plugs in the Angel's hands and the numbers etched on their sides. His heart stopped beating.

The Angel and Unit-01 stood facing each other. The fallen bodies of Units 16 & 17 lying between them. For what seemed an eternity they just faced each other, and then Unit-01 took a step forward.

The Angel clenched its talons, its claws rending open the plugs turning them into crushed and twisted pieces of metal. Then it simply tossed them aside like pieces of garbage. The plugs arced through the air before crashing into each other and smashing through the wall of a building. Coming to a stop within the building.

Before anyone knew what was happening Unit-01 was running towards the Angel. It swung the Lancea, cutting through the Angel's AT field like tissue paper. Shinji finished the move by swinging the Lancea back around and severing both of the Angel's outstretched arms at the elbow.

Tackling the Angel to the ground Unit-01 threw the Lancea aside and began to beat at the Angel's chest. Shinji's voice was yelling over the intercom. "YOU BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU, KILL YOU DEAD!!!" Unit-01 began to tear off pieces of the Angel's chest throwing them aside as Shinji enacted his bloody vengeance.

"YOU HURT REI, YOU HURT MY REI. I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER!!!" The Angel tried to push Unit-01 off of it, but without most of its arms it was hopeless. Unit-01 wasn't going anywhere.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Misato was fighting the urge to vomit as she watched the scene on the monitor before her. "Has it gone berserk?"

Though she didn't show it, Ritsuko was fighting a similar urge to Misato's. "No, Shinji is in full control."

Misato was fighting back tears as she spoke into the intercom. "Shinji, I'm so sorry but… please, you have to stop."

Shinji didn't respond.

Tears welled up in Misato's eyes. "Damn it they were only kids." She spoke back into the intercom, "Asuka?…Asuka?...Asuka!!?"

Asuka finally responded, it sounded like she'd been crying. "It's my fault, I should of stayed back…I should have got up faster."

"Asuka, I need you to stop Unit-01."

"But…I don't think…"

"Just try Asuka."

"…Okay…I'll do it."

(Tokyo-3, Entry Plug Crash Site)

The leader of the recovery team had seen a lot of bad accident sites in his time but this was the worst by far. Parts of the entry plugs were scattered all around, LCL was everywhere. But it was the bodies that held the team's attention. At first the team leader tried to focus on the faces, since the heads were fully intact. He didn't want to look at their bodies. Both had been completely crushed, their tortured bodies mangled and torn. One of the boy's arms had been completely severed and was lying near the team leader's foot. He tried not to look at it. The problem with looking at their faces was that it reminded him just how young they were, only 15. He found himself fighting the urge to cry. Something he'd never done in all his years in this line of business. "They're only kids. They were fighting to save our lives." Some silent tears rolled down his cheeks.

He looked out the hole in the wall. He could see the giant form of Unit-01, beating the Angel continuously. There was an audible crunch sound as the Eva punched in the Angel's head in an explosion of blood. The giant form of Unit-14 approached from behind and put its hand on Unit-01's shoulder. Unit-01 just pushed it away and continued to tear up the Angel's chest.

The recovery team leader physically jumped as he heard ragged breathing. He turned to the two pilots, lying virtually next to each other. He couldn't believe it, it shouldn't be possible but they were breathing. Their chests were crushed but they were still drawing in breaths, though the air appeared to simply escape again when they opened their mouths. Both coughed violently, spitting out blood in the process. Their eyes slowly opened and focused on the people around them. Both uttered a single word at exactly the same time. "Pain." They lost consciousness.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Ritsuko answered her phone. "Yes?"

"…"

"What!!?"

"…"

"You can't be serious?"

"…"

"Okay, hold on."

Ritsuko walked over to the commander's desk and had a short, whispered conversation with him. Backing off, Ritsuko nodded and raised the phone to her ear. "I will be arriving soon."

"…"

"This incident is classified." She turned and headed for the door.

Misato caught her arm before she exited. "What's happening?"

"Rei and Nara are still alive." Ritsuko pulled her arm free from Misato's grip and walked out the door.

Misato just stood their in shock.

Maya's voice broke her out of her trance. "Major the Angel is powering-up. It's going to self-destruct."

Misato turned to the screen. The Angel was starting to glow under Unit-01.

(Tokyo-3, Battlefield)

Shinji observed the Angel beginning to glow. He new what it was trying to do, it'd had enough punishment and now it wanted to take Unit-01 down with it. Shinji wasn't having any of it. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT THAT EASILY."

As soon as the words left his lips, cross-flares erupted all around the Angel and Eva engulfing both in a haze of glowing destruction. All around them buildings were torn to pieces and the ground ripped up. Unit-14 was blasted backwards to land on its back with a thunderous crash.

The Angel was quite literally blown into a million pieces. As the light dissipated, parts of the Angel landed all around. Blood was everywhere especially around the epicentre of the destruction. In the very middle stood Unit-01, covered from top to bottom in the Angel's blood. Its mouth was open and it held a round, red object in its hand. The Angel's core.

Shinji looked at the core in his hand. He was thinking of what the Angel had done. He knew as long as the core remained intact it was still alive. He was going to destroy it but he wasn't sure how. At first he was just going to crush it but then another thought crossed his mind.

Unit-01 itself smiled and then bit into the core. Tearing off a chunk with its teeth, it chewed briefly then swallowed. Tearing off another part of the core with its hand, Unit-01 stuffed it in its mouth.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Misato stared in horror at the scene in front of her. "My god, he's eating the core."

Fuyutsuki looked down at the commander. "He's stronger than we thought."

Gendo keep his gaze on the screen. "Yes, this could prove useful for our plans."

Misato came to her senses as Unit-01 consumed the last part of the Angel's core. "Shinji, that's enough stop this right now."

When Shinji didn't respond, Gendo activated his own intercom and spoke into it. "Pilot Ikari?…Pilot Ikari?...Shinji!!!"

Shinji finally responded. "Yes?"

Gendo smirked. "The Angel has been annihilated and you have consumed its core. There is nothing left to destroy. Return to base."

There was a pause before Shinji's response. "Understood."

Unit-01 turned and started to walk back towards the elevator it had come to the surface on.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

The three pilots were back in their tanks. Rei and Nara were slowly regenerating. Their S2 organs working to mend their broken bodies. Their splintered bones were forming back together. Their torn flesh was knitting back together. Their internal organs were reforming. Nara's arm had reattached itself to his body.

Shinji was physically fine but had slipped into a coma like the others as soon as he'd powered down his Eva, before his plug was ejected.

Gendo had no idea what was wrong with him but he'd had Ritsuko bring him here with the others, if for no other reason than to be able to keep an eye on all of them.

Ritsuko stood in front of the tanks, observing their occupants. She'd made a few interesting discoveries in her examination of the two injured pilots. It appeared that as long as their minds and S2 organs remained intact they could regenerate any damage. She wasn't even sure wether their minds were necessary or if their consciousness could simply survive within their S2 organs.

It had taken her a while to locate their S2 organs. She'd finally noticed a protrusion of bone on the bottom of their rib cages. However it wasn't normal bone, she didn't know what it was but it wasn't bone. Whatever it was it had survived the crushing of the bodies unscathed. She'd scanned the pilots once they were put in the pods. All three had the protrusion. It had a hollow area within it and within that area was a miniature S2 organ, apparently as strong as a full-size one, maybe stronger.

Gendo stepped through the door behind her. "Any new discoveries Doctor."

Ritsuko noticed Fuyutsuki enter after the commander. "Yes, sir. Although they were almost completely destroyed in the 'incident', Rei appears to have replaced her 'missing' organs and is regenerating them along with everything else."

Gendo looked slightly confused. "What do you mean by 'missing organs'?"

"I mean her uterus and ovaries. The organs she was engineered not to grow."

Fuyutsuki coughed lightly. "Why do you think she did that?"

Ritsuko glanced at him. "She probably wants a kid. Shinji's most likely."

Fuyutsuki looked a little shocked. "But aren't they 'related'."

Ritsuko looked back at the pods. "They were. But not anymore."

Fuyutsuki looked even more confused. "What do you mean?"

Ritsuko signed. It looked like she was going to have to explain it all. "When Shinji and Rei assimilated Adam and Lilith it altered they're genetic make-up. They were essentially reborn with a completely new set of DNA, though they retained their original features. Instead of having similar DNA as might've been expected their DNA is totally different. So genetically they aren't related at all. In fact Shinji is no longer genetically related to the commander."

Fuyutsuki looked at Gendo. "I see, interesting."

Gendo turned to look at Ritsuko. "How long will they be out?"

"Assuming Shinji will remain out as long as the other two; it should be about five days."

"Very well." Gendo turned and exited the room, followed by Fuyutsuki and eventually Ritsuko.

(Mental Plain)

Shinji, Rei and Nara were having a conversation. They are all undamaged and glowing faintly. They are essentially mental images simultaneously appearing in all three of the linked minds. The mental Rei was snuggled up to the mental Shinji, both lying on the ground. The mental Nara was lying next to them. They lay on a grassy hill with a clear blue sky over them.

Nara was clenching and unclenching his fist. "My arm is fully attached now."

Shinji glanced over at him. "That's good, but what about the rest of you?"

"I'm working on it. The bones are almost done but the organs and muscles are going to take a little longer."

Shinji looked down at Rei's head, resting on his chest. "What about you Rei-chan."

"I am healing at an acceptable pace but…it still hurts Shin-chan." Rei started to cry silently.

Shinji held her a little tighter. "I know it does Rei-chan, I can fell it too."

She looked up at him, wiping some of the tears from her eyes. "You don't have to. You can withdraw from the link."

Shinji pushed her hair back from her forehead. "I know I can but I want to share your pain. I don't want you to have to bare it all."

"I don't want to hurt you." Rei cried harder.

Shinji rubbed her back with his hand. "Shh…calm down Rei-chan, it's not your fault."

Nara turned his head to look at them. "He's right Rei. And it's his choice. I think it would hurt him more to see you in pain and be unable to help."

Rei lifted her head to look at Nara. "Perhaps…you are right. Why don't you share your pain Nara?"

"It is mine and I will bare it."

Shinji turned so he could see Nara but still keep Rei in his view. "Aren't those double standards?"

Nara smiled slightly. "Maybe, but I think it's valid in this case."

"Why?"

"Because you and Rei are closer to each other than you are to me. Not that I care but it means I have to have double standards."

Rei reached over and lightly patted Nara's arm. "We do care about you Nara."

Shinji reached over and clapped Nara on the shoulder. "That's right you're important to us."

Nara smiled at them. "I know…and thank you."

Rei and Shinji smiled at him then turned back to each other. When Nara turned to look at them again they were engaged in a deep kiss. He smiled and returned to staring at the sky.

As Nara was staring at the sky he began to hum unconsciously.

Shinji and Rei both turned to him as they realised what tune he was humming. It was 'Ode to Joy', the song Kaoru (Tabris) use to hum.

Rei spoke first. "You are accessing some of the Angels' memories Nara."

Nara abruptly stopped humming. "Only Tabris'. He may have been an Angel but he grew up among humans. His life is the closest thing to a human life I've had."

Shinji looked slightly saddened. "Hearing that song brings back memories, of what I did."

Nara smiled at him. "Do not worry Shinji; Tabris does not blame you for his death. In truth he wanted to die."

"I know, but I still wish it could have been different."

Rei snuggled closer to Shinji. "Don't think about. It's in the past."

Shinji and Rei kissed again and Nara returned to staring at the sky.

(Tokyo-3 High School)

Touji found Asuka sitting in the corner of the school courtyard. She hadn't talked to anyone all day and although they didn't get on very well he was still worried about her.

Touji approached until he was standing just in front of Asuka. "What's up Sohryu?"

Asuka's head remained downcast but she responded quietly. "It's my fault."

"What's your fault?"

"What happened to Rei and Nara."

Touji noticed that for once she was using their names. "It wasn't your fault. And besides Misato said they're still alive."

"Can you even comprehend what sort of condition they'd be in after that? They'll probable be in pain for the rest of their lives."

"You don't know that Asuka."

"Yes I do and it is my fault. If I hadn't run forward we might have been able to take it down together, without anyone being hurt."

"I ran forward as well."

"But you were following me."

Touji decided to change the topic. "Where do you think Shinji is?"

"Misato said he was with Rei and Nara."

"Figures. I wish I could have seen him fight the Angel, it must have been one hell of a battle."

For the first time, Asuka looked up at him. "It wasn't a battle, it was a blood bath. Shinji was tearing the Angel apart, then all those cross-flares erupted…" She shook her head, "My Eva was knocked over, I didn't see what happened next but whatever it was Misato seems too horrified to tell me."

Touji looked thoughtful for a moment. "Wonder what happened, Shinji must have done something."

Asuka didn't respond she just lowered her head again and brought her knees to her chest. "It's my fault."

* * *

End Notes: Reviews are welcome as always. What did you think of my Angel? I made a sketch of it but unfortunately I can't upload that. Constructive criticism welcome. 


	3. Preparation for Battle

Disclaimer: Evangelion belongs to Gainax, not me. I own hardly anything; most of my possessions technically belong to my parents.

Author's Notes: Here's the third chapter. Hopefully it's good. I'll let you be the judge though.

* * *

**3. Preparation for Battle**

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

The tanks were shutting down as Ritsuko pressed buttons on their control panels. Rei and Nara were fully recovered and all three had regained consciousness. As the LCL drained out and the doors opened the three pilots stepped out onto the floor.

Ritsuko handed a blanket to each. "Put these on we'll get some clothes for you later." She turned to the door. "Follow me."

As they walked through one of the large corridors of Terminal Dogma Ritsuko made an interesting discovery. The pilots were making no noise at all. Her footsteps reverberated all around the hall but the pilots footsteps were silent, even with bare feet they should have made some noise. She also couldn't hear their breathing, despite the fact they were right behind her.

Ritsuko was broken out of her thoughts as they reached the elevator to Central Dogma. They all entered and Ritsuko selected the desired floor.

As the elevator approached its destination Ritsuko turned to the three pilots. "How are you three feeling?"

Shinji smiled slightly. "We are fine; Rei and Nara are fully recovered."

"Good." Ritsuko couldn't help but smile back. At first the three had treated her in a similar fashion to Gendo, but that had slowly changed. She wasn't sure why but it was definitely an improvement.

Rei made eye contact with Ritsuko. "How are we going to explain mine and Nara's conditions? I doubt anyone will believe we were unscathed by the whole incident."

"You'll both be required to wear bandages for a while. Apart from that we'll just have to hope everyone accepts that you two got lucky."

(Tokyo-3 High School)

Asuka had got to class early. She hadn't been able to sleep long and when she woke up Misato was still asleep so she'd walked to school. She walked slowly but still arrived before any of her class mates.

It had been five days since the battle with the Angel and Asuka hadn't heard anything about Rei and Nara's condition. No one had seen Shinji either.

The worst part, in Asuka opinion was how she'd always treated Rei and how she'd treated Nara in the sort time she'd known him. She'd never been kind to them, she'd deliberately insulted Rei at every opportunity and now she was responsible for them getting hurt. But she wasn't glad as she might of thought, instead she felt sad. When she thought they were dead she realised she didn't hate them as much as she thought.

"Asuka?"

Asuka's head snapped up to the door. Standing in the doorway was Shinji, looking directly at her and standing on either side of him were Rei and Nara. Both of the Ayanami's were heavily bandaged but didn't appear to be too seriously hurt.

Asuka was on her feet and in front of the three teens faster than seemed humanly possible. "Rei, Nara you're all right!! I'm so glad." Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Rei looked a little taken aback by Asuka's outburst. "I thought you didn't like me."

"I know, I'm really sorry about how I treated you."

Rei's confusion only increased. "Why the change of heart?"

"I almost got you killed."

Rei wasn't sure if Asuka meant that as a response or merely as a statement. She wasn't given time to ponder it however as Asuka flung her arms around Rei and started to cry into her shoulder. Rei looked down at the girl. "It…wasn't your fault."

Touji chose that moment to walk into the classroom from the other door. He took one look at the teens in the doorway and ran over to them. As Asuka was still clinging to Rei he stood in front of Nara looking at his fully intact body. "I can't believe your not that badly hurt." He clapped Nara's shoulder.

Although it didn't actually hurt, Nara winced in pain. Touji immediately withdrew his hand. "Oh, sorry man."

Nara rubbed his shoulder. "It's ok; I'm just a little sore."

Asuka finally let go of Rei though she was still crying. She tried to smile. "I guess we better take our seats before sensei arrives."

The others agreed and they all headed for their desks.

(Lunch Time, School Roof)

Kensuke groaned loudly. "I can't believe sensei gave us a maths test. He didn't even warn us first."

Touji patted his friend on the shoulder. "I'm sure you couldn't have done that badly. Though I probable failed."

Asuka laughed at them. "Well I for one probable got the best mark in the class. There weren't any worded questions on that test."

The bell rung.

Hikari stood up and headed for the stairs. "Well I guess we're about to find out."

(Classroom)

The teacher was handing the test papers back in alphabetical order. "Aida, Kensuke."

Kensuke sheepishly took his paper and groaned.

"Ayanami, Nara."

Nara took his paper without comment.

"Ayanami, Rei."

Rei took her paper without comment.

The list went on for a while before. "Horaki, Hikari."

Hikari took her paper and smiled slightly.

"Ikari, Shinji."

Shinji took his paper without comment.

There was another slew of names before. "Sohryu, Asuka."

Asuka took her paper and smiled victoriously.

"Suzuhara, Touji."

Touji took his paper and made a sort of snorting sound.

The teacher handed out the last few papers and gave the students a few minutes to go over their tests before starting the lesson again.

(After School)

As the group of friends walked down the road outside school, Asuka was busy flashing her paper at everyone. "Twelve and a half out of thirteen, beat that. Even Hikari only got twelve."

Asuka turned to Kensuke who was still holding his test paper. She snatched it from his hand. "Five?" She started to laugh.

Touji put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's alright, you did better than me."

Asuka's head snapped to Touji. "What did you get then?"

"Two." Touji didn't even sound embarrassed.

"Hah. Well that's three down." She turned to Shinji, Rei and Nara who were walking slightly apart from the rest. "What did you three get?"

"Thirteen." The response came from three different mouths at the same time.

Asuka stopped walking then laughed. "Yeah right, prove it."

The three teens took their papers from their bags and showed them to Asuka. Who looked at them once then sniffed and turned away.

The others laughed at her.

(Two Hours Later, The Apartment)

Nara answered the door after it became apparent that whoever was knocking wasn't going to leave.

When the door slid open he was surprised to see Asuka, Touji, Kensuke and Hikari standing on the other side, all in casual clothes. "What are you doing here?"

Kensuke pointed his camera at Nara. "We're here to celebrate you and Rei getting better."

Touji showed Nara the bag of take-away he was carrying. "We even bought food. Since you guys don't have any meat."

Nara glanced back into the apartment. "Ok, you can come in but wait in the living room while I get Shinji and Rei."

Asuka smiled mischievously. "What are Rei and Shinji up to that you don't want us to see?"

Nara winked at her and walked off down the hallway.

When Nara entered Shinji's room he wasn't surprised to find Rei there. The two were lying on Shinji's bed, snuggled up together. Though they were covered by the bed's sheets, Nara knew they had no clothes on underneath. He was sorry to have to break the scene up. "Umm…I think you should know that Asuka, Touji, Kensuke and Hikari have arrived and intend to stay for a while."

Rei lifted her head from Shinji's chest to look at Nara. She pouted slightly. "What do they want?"

"Apparently they want to celebrate us getting better."

Rei signed. "I suppose we should go then."

Shinji smiled at her. "Yeah, you're right Rei-chan."

As the two kissed, Nara turned to leave. "Remember to put your bandages back on Rei."

It was a few minutes later when Rei and Shinji joined the others in the living room. Currently they were eating the take-out the others had brought.

Touji and Kensuke had remembered their friends' aversion to eating meat and had purchased three vegetarian meals from the noodle place. Asuka watched as Nara handed Rei and Shinji their meals and returned to his own. She looked directly at Nara. "Why don't you eat meat?"

Nara looked up at her and stopped eating. "I just don't, I've never eaten it before." He turned to Rei. "Do you know Rei?"

Rei looked at him and swallowed the food in her mouth. "No…I do not. I've never eaten meat either."

Asuka hmphed. "How did you convince Shinji to stop?"

Shinji looked at Asuka. "She didn't, I decided on my own."

Asuka looked thoughtful for a second, and then shrugged. "Whatever." She looked around herself. "You're apartment is pretty small."

Asuka's 'observations' continued until Kensuke took out his game console and his new video game. "Just been released. You get to chose from over 100 characters to play with. I brought the entire character guide." He took a large booklet out of his bag.

It took a whole hour for everyone to choose their characters and then the ultimate tournament began. They drew names from a hat to determine the play order. Touji got a bye and the others were paired up to fight. First up was Kensuke vs Hikari.

Kensuke's character was a white ninja with a single katana blade. Hikari had chosen a young girl with dual pistols which was an easy to use character.

As soon as the match began Hikari started firing her character's pistols. Kensuke's character charged forward and started to swipe with his sword, dodging the gun shots. It wasn't long until Hikari's character was defeated.

Asuka took Hikari's controller from her. "That's one for the buys. Too bad that's all their going to get. You're up Nara."

Nara confidently took Kensuke's controller. "Don't get too confident."

Asuka's character was a red dragon that almost filled her half of the screen. Nara's was a ninja like Kensuke's but his was black and had two katana blades.

Asuka's dragon lashed out with its claws but the ninja dodged. The dragon fired several fire balls, one hitting the black ninja's chest. The ninja's life dropped considerable but it made a double swing with its swords, neatly decapitating the dragon.

Asuka stared at the screen for a while before speaking. "That wasn't fair. I demand a rematch."

Kensuke smiled. "No rematches. Time for the next match, Shinji vs Rei."

When Shinji and Rei's characters appeared the first thing that became apparent was that they were almost identical to each other. Both were bedecked in black and armed with short vicious sai knives. The only difference was that Shinji's was male and Rei's female.

The fight was long and drawn out. Neither player had the advantage and their health points slowly decreased.

As their lives approached zero everyone was staring intently at the screen. Both initiated their special attacks, spinning around with their blades extended. They hit and both of their health points went to zero _at the same time_.

Kensuke just stared at the screen. "A tie. Well I guess their both out then."

Asuka stood up quickly. "But that only leaves three what do we do now."

Kensuke smiled. "Free for all."

And so the final match began. Kensuke's ninja, Nara's ninja and the giant rocket launcher robot that was Touji's character.

The two ninja's engaged each other in the centre and were blown apart by rockets fired from Touji's robot. They both headed for the robot and sliced it at the same time, severely decreasing its health. Continuing through they engaged each other once again.

As both ninja's were destroyed by another rocket barrage everyone started laughing.

Hikari pointed at the two defeated teens. "You two are such idiots."

Nara turned his head in an attempt to escape the laughter and found himself looking at the clock. "Hey, it's one already. You guys need to get home."

Asuka stopped laughing. "It's too late to walk home, can we stay here."

Rei looked over at her. "Only if you don't mind sharing a bed with Hikari."

Asuka looked at her. "Huh?"

It was Shinji who responded. "If all four of you stay here then you'll have to share a bed with Hikari. Unless you'd rather share with Touji or Kensuke."

Asuka's face blanched at the suggestion. "Ok, I'll share with Hikari. What bed do we get?"

Rei glanced at Shinji and smiled. "You can use mine. Kensuke can sleep on the spare room's bed and Touji can sleep on the couch."

Touji looked at Rei. "Where will you sleep then?"

Rei smiled sheepishly. "With Shin-chan."

Asuka winked at her. "So its Shin-chan is it."

Rei blushed slightly. She leaned back against Shinji.

Shinji put his arms around her. "You okay Rei-chan?"

She smiled at him. "I'm fine."

Asuka chuckled and walked down the hall, looking over her shoulder. "Coming Hikari."

(Later, Shinji's Room)

Shinji and Rei were lying on Shinji's bed. The two of them holding each other close. They were both very comfortable.

Shinji looked into the eyes of his beloved. She was more than just his lover, she was his best friend as well and his constant companion. He lightly brushed the hair from her eyes. "Do you want to talk Rei-chan?"

Rei smiled at him. "Yes, what do you wish to talk about?"

"I don't know I just want to talk."

"Hmm…can I ask a question?"

"Of course Rei-chan."

"When did you first fall in love with me?"

"I don't really know."

"You have to know."

"I think I fell in love with you the moment I met you. But I only realised after the battle with Ramiel."

"Why?"

"I almost lost you. I thought you might have died. I realised then that I loved you but…I was too weak to act on it."

"I see. I am glad to know that Shin-chan."

Shinji smiled at her. "What about you Rei-chan, when did you fall for me?"

"I…do not know. I knew I cared about you soon after you arrived but the realisation that I loved you came later. I don't know exactly when but I think…it was when you were absorbed by Leliel. I suppose the threat of lost affected me like it affected you. We are alike in that way."

Shinji kissed her. "We are alike in many ways Rei-chan."

Rei smiled and gave him an affectionate squeeze. "You are right Shin-chan."

The two teens kissed passionately.

When they finally parted, Rei began to pull off her shirt.

Shinji had the sudden urge to blush and stutter out a protest but he simply ignored it, instead pulling his own shirt off.

As Shinji brought his attention back to Rei, the girl single-handedly disengaged her bra and threw it on top of the two shirts on the floor.

Now bare from the waist up the two teens held each other close again.

Rei looked at her beloved's face. He was the first person she ever truly cared for and was the most important person in her life. He was the reason she was alive. "Shin-chan, what are we going to do about the commander?"

Shinji's expression darkened slightly. "We'll do what he want's for now. But he isn't our master, we're not his dolls."

Rei sat up. "I am no longer a doll. So what am I?"

Shinji sat up and faced her. "You're your own person Rei."

Rei kissed him again. "Thank you Shin-chan."

"You're welcome Rei-chan."

Rei began to pull off Shinji's pants and underwear. Shinji reached other and began to remove Rei's skirt and panties. Both teens finished their tasks at the same time.

Shinji lay down and pulled Rei down on top of him. "Are you ready Rei-chan?"

"Yes Shin-chan."

(Nara's Room)

Nara was lying on his bed with one arm draped over his eyes. His breathing was regular and even, but he wasn't asleep yet.

A slight smile crossed his lips as he discreetly closed his links to Rei and Shinji. He knew if he left them open he'd never get to sleep. He had taken great pains to develop this skill after the last time.

(Next Morning, Shinji's Room)

Shinji's eyes slowly opened as he awoke. He immediately became aware of a weight pressing down upon him. Turning his head to the right, he could see Rei's head on the pillow next to his. Her body was draped over his, eliciting a considerable amount of warmth into him.

Shinji looked at his alarm clock. It was time to get up. With so many people here breakfast would take a while to make. He'd have to wake up Rei.

Before Shinji could do anything however, Rei began to stir. Yawning softly Rei stretched and arched her back. An action made more difficult by the fact she was still laying on top of Shinji.

Fluttering slightly, Rei's eyes opened. She locked eyes with Shinji and smiled. "Good morning Shin-chan."

Shinji smiled back at her. "Good morning Rei-chan."

Rei lifted herself off of Shinji and looked down at him. "What now Shin-chan?"

"We have to go make breakfast."

Rei pouted. "Can't Nara do it?"

Shinji chuckled. "That's seven breakfast's Rei. I think he'll need help."

(Rei's Room)

As Asuka looked around the room a single thought filled her mind. 'Where is all of Rei's stuff?' The room was almost completely empty. The only clothes in the cupboard were a couple of pairs of shirts and shorts. Asuka new Rei had more clothes than this, she'd seen them. Rei had worn that dress to Misato's and then there was her school uniform and the clothes she was wearing yesterday, though they were obviously in Shinji's room.

Hikari was still asleep, so Asuka made her way to the kitchen by herself.

When she reached the kitchen she found Shinji, Rei and Nara making breakfast. The three working together perfectly.

What caught Asuka's attention though were Rei's clothes. The girl was wearing a knee-length white skirt and a blue T-shirt. They were not the clothes she was wearing yesterday.

An idea suddenly hit Asuka and before any of the teens noticed her she went back down the hallway.

Reaching Shinji's door she slid it open and stepped inside. She headed to the wardrobe and slid it open. Sure enough she found the clothes inside divided. One side had Shinji's clothes; the other had Rei's. As Asuka looked around she noticed several other things that definitely didn't belong to Shinji. A body length mirror in a corner with a hair brush covered in blue hair on a table next to it. There was also a table covered in clips and bands for Rei's hair, though she probable never used them.

By the time Asuka returned to the kitchen all the others were already seated around the table and Rei, Shinji and Nara were serving the food.

Asuka walked over to Rei and Shinji and stood in front of them, hands on her hips.

Shinji stepped backwards from Asuka's stare. "What?"

Asuka pointed a finger at them. "You two share a room."

Rei looked confused. "That's just because you were using my room remember."

Asuka laughed. "Then why are all of your clothes in Shinji's room, and your mirror, and your hairbrush, and your hair clips."

Rei and Shinji blushed furiously. Asuka was right. Apart from a few occasions, Rei slept in Shinji's room most nights.

Nara chuckled slightly. "She's got you there sis."

Touji grinned lecherously. "Sharing a room with Rei huh. Shinji you dog."

Shinji was just glad they'd tidied up the room before they started breakfast. He didn't want last night to become public knowledge. "Wait…you went into our room?"

Asuka smiled broadly. "So it's _our_ room, I knew it."

Shinji blushed more and Rei followed suit.

Nara finally decided to come to their rescue. "I think we've tortured them enough, let's eat."

Asuka was going to protest but then thought better of it and sat down. All the teens dug in.

When breakfast was finished and washed up the teens made their way to the living room and turned on the TV.

Asuka sat in an armchair and Hikari sat in the other. Touji and Kensuke sat on the floor and Nara sat on the right side of the couch. Shinji sat on the left side of the couch and Rei sat in his lap, draping her arms around his neck while he put his arms around her waist.

Their viewing was cut sort as Shinji's phone started to ring. Shinji answered the call and brought the phone to his ear. "Yes?"

"…"

"Okay, we'll be there."

"…"

"They're here too."

"…"

"Understood." Shinji hung up.

Rei looked up at him. "What is it?"

Shinji put his phone back in his pocket. "We need to go to Nerv for training."

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo was sitting behind his desk with his hands crossed in their usual position. Sub-commander Fuyutsuki was standing to his left and Ritsuko was standing in front of the desk.

Gendo's glasses glinted as he moved his head slightly. "What is the status of the Eva's Doctor?"

Ritsuko looked down at her clipboard. "All the damaged Evas have been fully repaired and Russia has completed Unit-18 it's being transported by air and will be here in the next five hours."

"Have you identified the 7th child?"

"Yes sir."

"Then we can begin testing. Have you completed your assessment of Unit-01, Unit-16 and Unit-17?"

"Yes sir. It appears the Evas act as conjugates for the children's power. In affect the stronger the children get, the stronger their Evas get. On top of that the Evas have their own power which is added onto the children's. Unit-16 and Unit-17 aren't that much stronger than a normal Eva but Unit-01 is a different matter. After consuming Zeruel's core it got a power boost as well as activating its S2 organ and it appears consuming the latest Angel's core had the same affect. It is by far the strongest Eva."

"What is your evaluation of the 1st, 3rd and 6th children?"

"They appear to be getting stronger. They're already quite powerful but if Shinji's performance against the latest Angel is anything to go by, they're yet to tap into their full power."

"Very well, do a complete evaluation of the children."

"Yes sir." Ritsuko looked slightly nervous as she asked a question. "Sir, what do we do about the latest Angel attack?"

The commander looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we can't keep referring to it as the latest Angel. What do we call it?"

Gendo seemed to consider the question. "We'll refer to it as the 18th Angel."

"But isn't mankind the 18th Angel."

"Yes, but then we didn't anticipate this Angel so some things will have to change. It is now the 18th Angel. Is there anything else doctor."

Ritsuko straightened slightly. "No Sir."

"Good." Gendo turned his head to look at the sub-commander. "Fuyutsuki has the assassin we captured revealed any information."

Fuyutsuki looked down at the commander. "Yes sir, it would appear he and the others were hired by Seele."

Gendo didn't change expression. "I see…they are moving against us again."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Unfortunately it does not appear he knows anything else."

Gendo voice was emotionless. "Have him killed."

(Tokyo-3)

Kensuke was walking along a busy road on his way home. He'd split from the others when they went towards Nerv. Hikari had gone home in the opposite direction.

He wished he was a pilot then he could kick some Angel butt. He'd be the greatest pilot there ever was.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a car pulling up alongside him. Two men in black suits got out and walked up to Kensuke.

The first man flashed a Nerv ID-card at him. "Kensuke Aida, you're coming with us."

Kensuke stared at the two men. "Wh…why?"

"You've been selected as the 7th child."

(Nerv, Eva Bays)

The five pilots (now dressed in their plug suits) stood in front of the new Eva. Unit-18 was green with brown parts. It had a wing backpack with green wings and like all the Evas it had an S2 organ. Its body was like that of Unit-14 and Unit-15 and it had an elongated head with two sunken eyes.

Asuka scrutinised the new Eva. "So this is Unit-18. Wonder who they're going to get to pilot it."

Misato stepped up behind them. "You'll see for yourself soon. The pilot is about to arrive."

All six turned at the sound of the door opening. On the other side was Ritsuko and next to her was Kensuke dressed in a plug suit that matched the new Eva.

Kensuke smiled at his friends. "Guess what, I'm the 7th child."

Touji didn't look happy. "Damn, you too. Piloting isn't a good thing Kensuke."

"Oh come on the Evas are cool and now I get to pilot one."

Touji just shook his head. "You'll figure it out eventually."

Ritsuko cleared her throat to get the groups attention. "Today we're starting a new training program. But first you'll be split into two groups."

Asuka interrupted the doctor. "Why are you splitting us up?"

"The training is designed to be difficult. As such you'll be forced to work in groups of three. Group one will be Rei, Shinji and Nara. Group two will be Asuka, Touji and Kensuke."

Asuka once again interrupted the doctor. "What. Why am I stuck with those two idiots?"

Ritsuko gave Asuka an annoyed look. "Those are the commander's orders Asuka. You do not have the authority to question them."

Asuka looked a little taken aback and wisely decided to shut up.

Ritsuko turned to the other pilots. "Group two is going to the simulation room with Misato. Group one is with me."

She turned and walked towards the door. Shinji, Rei and Nara followed her out.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Asuka was in the middle of screaming at Misato. "You're putting us up against all nine. There's no way we can win."

Misato smiled at the girl. "Not yet, but eventually you will."

"This is ridiculous." Asuka threw her arms up in exasperation.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Ritsuko had taken the elevator to the very bottom floor of Terminal Dogma, the furthest down part of the entire Nerv complex.

She walked out of the elevator with the three pilots following closely. The hallway they were now in had only four doors along its length (two on each side) and a fifth door at the very end.

Ritsuko lead them to the very end of the hallway and swiped her key card through the door's lock. The door opened silently, sliding back into the wall. Ritsuko (followed by the three pilots) stepped into the room.

Nara looked around the cavernous chamber. It was almost completely empty. The only objects being a large computer screen next to the door and a sensor array around the perimeter. "What is this place?"

Ritsuko glanced over her shoulder at him. "It's a training room for you three. This is where you will test your powers. It's also where we'll be starting today."

Shinji and Rei glanced at each other before Shinji spoke. "What do you want us to do?"

Ritsuko walked to the centre of the room. "I need each of you to stand here in turn, and expand your AT field at maximum power. The sensors will record and compare your power. Don't expand the field too wide though. The sensor equipment is delicate."

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Kensuke was having the time of his life. It might be simulated but he was still piloting an Eva and he knew that he was going to be doing the real thing eventually. The green Unit-18 walked down a street, armed with a palette gun. It was moving rather slowly as Kensuke had already fallen twice and wasn't keen to repeat the process. It had taken almost ten minutes to get the Eva to move, even with the crash course in piloting Ritsuko had given him before he met up with the others.

Kensuke was heading for the giant spider that towered over the buildings of Tokyo-3. He got within range and fired his palette gun, missing by a rather large margin.

As the Angel finally started to head towards him, he continued to fire bursts from his gun. Most shots missed but he did get a few hits along the Angel's body.

Reaching him the Angel lifted its leg and attempted to skewer Unit-18. Kensuke jumped clumsily aside and ended up with the leg going through his Eva's leg, pinning it to the ground.

The Angel moved its body over his Eva's and began to excrete acid. Kensuke held in screams as the acid burnt through his Eva. Bringing his gun to bear he let out a continuous burst of fire, somehow managing to puncture the Angel's core.

As the Angel began to collapsed, Kensuke rolled to the side, tearing a large chunk out of his Eva's leg in the process as the Angel's leg was ripped out of it. Unit-18 just managed to avoid the Angel's falling body.

Unit-18 began to rise, stumbling on its damaged leg. Kensuke gritted his teeth and forced his Eva to stand. As he raised his head he saw a huge worm-like shape at the end of the street. He raised his palette gun only to find that it had been destroyed by the acid.

Two wipe-like tentacles launched towards him aiming for his Eva's chest. Kensuke was disconnected from the simulator.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Asuka was in trouble. She'd been engaged with Sachiel when Israfel had come up behind her. She'd been able to keep them off for a while but then Israfel split and things had gotten really bad.

As Unit-14 narrowly avoided an eye-blast from one of Israfel's halves it was struck in the back by Sachiel's arm-beam knocking it to the ground. Even then Asuka reacted quickly, rolling to the side to avoid a swipe from Israfel's second half.

Rising to its feet Unit-14 whirled around and buried one of its axes in Sachiel's core, then jumped aside to avoid an attack from one of Israfel's halves. Jumping over the fallen Sachiel Asuka retrieved her axe and spun as she landed to face the two Israfel halves.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Unit-15 jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding Ramiel's beam attack. Touji swore as the building to his left was blown apart by the beam. He didn't stay still long, jumping behind the next building as the one he was just hiding behind was struck by the beam. "Where's that rifle?"

Misato's voice came over the intercom. "It's powering up, just hang on a little longer."

"I don't know if I…shit!!" Touji cut off as he was forced to deploy his wings and swoop upwards to avoid the glowing form of Armisael. "Oh this is not good." As Armisael came at him again, Touji flew even higher.

Misato's voice screamed over the intercom. "Look out."

Though he didn't know what was wrong, Touji immediately swooped sideways. Unfortunately he wasn't quite fast enough, Ramiel's beam came from behind him and seared off his right arm and wing as well as part of his side. No longer able to fly Unit-15 crashed to the ground.

Touji had only enough time to look up before Armisael struck his Eva's chest, pinning him to the ground. Unit-15 struggled as it tried to force the Angel off. Its struggles were cut abruptly short though as Ramiel fired again, hitting the Eva directly. Touji was disconnected from the simulator.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Misato watched as the advanced positron rifle put a shot straight through Ramiel's core. "Better late then never I guess." She looked at the results on the screen. "Damn it we've already lost two and Asuka's not looking in good shape."

Misato watched the screen that showed Unit-14. It had destroyed Israfel but suffered considerable damage in the act.

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Unit-14 stumbled along the road. Asuka knew it would take her S2 organ a long time to repair the damage her Eva had taken so she should try and avoid the remaining Angels. But with Sahaqiel preparing to fall on the city she also had a time limit.

Right now she was heading towards where she could see Matariel's legs sticking up over the buildings. Kensuke had been defeated by Shamshiel there so she was heading there to destroy the Angel.

Finally reaching the fallen form of Matariel, Asuka looked around and spotted Shamshiel advancing on her from the right. She ran forward dodging one of Shamshiel's tentacles as it lashed out and spinning around she severed it with an axe.

Shamshiel stumbled backwards slightly and Unit-14 rushed forward. Asuka jumped up then came down on the Angel burying both axes into its core.

Her victory however didn't last; she was hurled off the dead Angel as she was struck in the back by Zeruel's eye-blast. Her axes were left behind in Shamshiel's core.

Even in mid-air Asuka was able to spin her Eva around and land on her feet facing the new threat.

(Terminal Dogma)

Shinji, Rei and Nara had finished in the training room and Ritsuko was looking at the results as she led them to the next room. It appeared Shinji was the strongest, clear ahead of the other two. Rei and Nara were almost equal in power with Rei only slightly more powerful.

They reached the door at the bottom left of the hallway. Ritsuko once again swiped her key card and the door opened. On the other side was a room with three large tanks of LCL, each attached to a network of pipes and sensors.

Rei recognised the contraption immediately. "The dummy plug system."

Ritsuko nodded slightly. "The previous model was scraped, we're building another one."

Shinji glanced sideways at her. "You want to download our brainwaves?"

"Yes, you're considerable smarter than normal humans and you know how to manipulate AT fields. Together your minds should make a very affective dummy plug."

Nara stepped up to one of the tanks. "What do you need a new dummy plug for?"

Ritsuko smiled slightly. "I'll show you that when we're done."

Shortly after the three pilots were in the tanks as their brainwaves were copied into a secure part of the MAGI system. The three could feel the gentle probing of their minds as the machines went about their work.

It didn't take long for the machines to finish their task. As soon as the process was finished Ritsuko opened the pods and the pilots stepped out.

Ritsuko turned to the door. "If you want to know what those brainwaves will be used for, follow me."

She walked out of the room and across the hallway opening the door on the opposite side and entering through it. The three pilots followed her.

Inside the room was an Eva. Ritsuko, Shinji, Rei and Nara stood on the gantry in front of it.

Shinji stared at the Eva. "It looks like Unit-01."

Ritsuko smirked. "Yes it's a clone of the original, identical in almost everyway. There are however a couple of differences, the colour being the most obvious."

The others had already noticed that. This Eva was silver and brown.

Rei had walked up to the Eva. She placed her hand on it and gasped. "This Eva has no soul."

Shinji and Nara walked up next to her and placed their hands on the Eva.

Shinji narrowed his eyes. "It's completely empty."

Nara nodded. "All I can feel is emptiness."

Ritsuko stepped up behind them. "Yes it has no soul, and that is why it's the perfect Eva for the dummy plug system. Without a soul it has no will of its own so it will not be able to reject the dummy plug system, as Unit-01 did."

Shinji looked into the Eva's eyes. "So this is what the new dummy plug is for."

Ritsuko looked up at the Eva. "Yes, this is Unit-19, the prototype for the Internal Dummy Plug System."

Rei looked over at Ritsuko. "Internal Dummy Plug System?"

Ritsuko looked away from the Eva and turned to the three pilots. "Yes. The dummy plug is built into the Eva and there are no external openings. So it is impossible for a pilot to enter the Eva."

Shinji was still staring into the Eva's eyes. "Why did you use Unit-01 as the model?"

Ritsuko paused before answering. "Because Unit-01 is the strongest Eva and the one we have the most data on."

Nara was looking at a bunch of wires going into the Eva. "Our brainwaves have already been downloaded haven't they?"

"Yes this Eva should now be fully operational." Ritsuko started back towards the entrance. "We need to move on."

The next room Ritsuko led them to was just left of the elevator. "This is the second Eva simulation room; it is just for you three." She swiped her key card through the lock and the door hissed open.

Inside it was like the other Eva simulation room but a little smaller. One wall was taken up by a screen and the opposite wall had three entry plugs. 01, 16 and 17 were etched on their fronts. Without a word the pilots got into their plugs and sealed them.

(Virtual Battlefield)

The battlefield the three pilots found themselves in was a twisted wasteland. It appeared that it had once been a city but all that was left now was a few twisted piles of metal and the occasional piece of road. The sky overhead was a dark red colour and the ground was dark and foreboding with spires of rocks all over the place.

The three Evas rose to their full height, weapons in hand. Unit-01 with the Lancea Longini and the other two with Longinus spears.

Ritsuko's voice came over the intercom. "This is the battlefield you will be fighting in. Your opponents should be arriving shortly. You also have an ally."

Ritsuko had barely finished her sentence when three indistinct shapes appeared on the horizon. At the same time another Eva appeared alongside the three. It was Unit-19 carrying a Longinus spear.

As the approaching Angels got closer the pilots began to be able to make them out. There was the all too familiar form of the 18th Angel, next to it was the white form of Lilith and next to Lilith was the glowing form of Adam.

Once again Ritsuko spoke over the intercom, this time a screen of her face popping up on the pilots' view screens. "You've got five opponents so look out."

Shinji looked a little confused. "Five? But I only see…" He trailed off as a smaller shape in front of the three titanic Angels became visible. "Tabris!"

Ritsuko looked a little sympathetic. "Yes, we incorporated Tabris into this simulation. But don't worry Shinji this Tabris won't offer his life, he will try to kill you."

Shinji suppressed his emotions with some effort. "So what's the fifth one?"

Ritsuko smiled faintly. "You'll find out."

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Asuka's battle with Zeruel was not going well for the young girl. Her left arm had been severed at the shoulder and most of the plating on her chest had been destroyed. The worst part was her S2 organ was now exposed to the Angel's attacks.

Holding her progressive knife in her remaining hand Asuka tried to keep out of the Angel's line of sight, darting in for quick attacks. "I don't suppose you could use that rifle on this thing." She looked at the video image of Misato's face as she spoke.

Misato shook her head. "Sorry Asuka, the rifle can't get a clear shot through the buildings, you're on your own."

"Great, how long till Sahaqiel hits."

"About thirty seconds."

Asuka hung her head. "Just great, I'm doomed."

Unti-14 back-flipped to avoid another eye-blast from Zeruel but since it only had one arm it didn't land very well, crashing into the ground.

Zeruel was on it in an instant, raising its arms and bringing them down on Unit-14's S2 organ. As the organ cracked Asuka looked past the attacking Angel. She could see Sahaqiel falling in the distance. Asuka was disconnected from the simulator.

(Virtual Battlefield)

The four Evas had split up and were attempting to encircle their opponents. The attempt however, was not going very well. Each Eva was now fully engaged with an Angel.

Unit-01 and Unit-16 were fighting a two on two battle with Adam and Lilith, both teens briefly dwelling on the fact they were essentially fighting themselves.

Nara was experiencing some difficulty in his battle with Tabris. The nimble little Angel kept flying out of his reach.

Unit-19 was engaged in a close range battle with the 18th Angel, using its spear's reach to strike at the Angel while avoiding its energy-blasts.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma, Eva Simulation Room)

Ritsuko watched the screen with a slight smile on her face. It wouldn't be long till the final Angel made its appearance and until then there were several interesting battles to watch. The other three pilots would be doing sync tests now, so they had a while to finish this simulation.

(Virtual Battlefield)

Rei and Shinji were in perfect sync, their movements perfectly matched to each other. Simultaneously both Units leaped forward, their weapons held at their sides. Adam and Lilith didn't move but their eyes glowed briefly.

Cross-flares erupted all around the two Evas blowing them backwards to land in a crouch position a few hundred metres from the Angels.

Acting as one, the two pilots focused their power towards the offending Angels.

Cross-flares surrounded the Angels and reached towards them but were ineffective against the Angels' AT fields.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Unit-17's hand grabbed at Tabris but ended up grabbing thin air as the boy-Angel dodged. Growling slightly Nara lashed out with his AT field. Tabris brought up his own to defend himself.

The two AT field's collided and pushed against each other for barely a second before Tabris' field collapsed and he was wrapped up in the opposing AT field.

Unit-17's fist enclosed the Angel and brought it up to eye level. Within the entry plug Nara smiled slightly. Unit-17 clenched its fist pulverising the Angel and its core.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Unit-19 was starting to wrap-up its battle with the 18th Angel. It had severed one of the Angel's talons and split the other in half. Driving its spear into the Angel's stomach Unit-19 ripped upwards, leaving a large tear up the Angel's abdomen.

The 18th Angel stumbled backwards and Unit-19 drove its spear through the Angel's eye and out the back of its head. Leaving its weapon there the Eva proceeded to drive its right hand into the slit up the Angel's abdomen. It pulled out the Angels S2 organ and promptly crushed it.

It didn't notice the large black sphere that appeared above it near the end of the battle, nor did it notice the sphere disappear. It did notice however that it was now sinking into the ground.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Shinji and Rei were fighting a losing battle against the two opposing Angels. Their powers were almost technically equal but Adam and Lilith were far better at manipulating their AT fields. Even now the two teens were growing in skill but were still outmatched. If not for their teamwork, they would probable have already been destroyed.

It was starting to get desperate when the two teens felt Nara strengthen his link to them and attempt to sync. Rei and Shinji accepted the link and synced with Nara, receiving a quick mental smile in response.

Folding its wings into its back, Unit-17 landed beside its two allies. All three raised their weapons and prepared to attack.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Leliel's shadow shuddered violently, its white strips disappearing and its surface becoming a completely uniform black. Below, its body was splitting open and shaking enough to make its own small earthquake. Part of the shadow stretched outwards then cracked as a bloody hand emerged. Blood sprayed outwards from the wound. The hand grabbed onto the edge of the crack and another emerged to grab the opposite edge. The hands pushed sideways, widening the crack enough for the head of Unit-19 to emerge along with its upper torso. As the Eva continued to push at the sphere, more and more cracks appeared along its surface until finally it exploded outwards in a haze of blood. Unit-19 landed in a crouch position on the Angel's now dead body, breaking more of it with the impact.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma, Eva Simulation Room)

Ritsuko watched the blood soaked form of Unit-19 head towards the battle between its three allies and the two remaining Angels. It was performing quite well. It would appear the combination of brainwaves was a success.

Ritsuko turned her attention to the Eva's destination. The battle was now going in the Evas' favour. The Angels did not co-operate too well, while the three pilots were synchronising to an incredible high extent. In the case of Shinji and Rei, the synchronisation was perfect. However even now the Angels AT fields were proving a problem, blocking the Evas' strikes with their spears and the Lancea Longini.

(Virtual Battlefield)

Shinji jumped backwards to dodge another strike by Adam, swinging at the Angel with the Lancea in the process. Adam deflected the blow with its AT field and prepared for another strike.

Unit-16 appeared to the Angel's right and launched towards it, only to be forced back by a blow from Adam's AT field. Back-flipping in mid-air Rei brought her Eva around to land next to Unit-17 which was currently fending off an attack from Lilith.

The three Evas found themselves standing in a lose circle as the two Angels closed in.

It was then that Unit-19 struck. Focusing on the Evas in front of it, Adam didn't notice the lone Eva until it was too late. Unit-19 rammed the Angel from behind knocking it to the ground. The two behemoths rolled along the ground, locked in a fierce battle.

As the two rolled to a stop Adam focused its power. Blasted by Adams AT field from point-blank range and struck by several powerful cross-flares Unit-19 was torn into pieces as it was flung off the Angel. Adam began to rise. It was however too late.

Once Adam had been knocked down, Lilith had been the only Angel left standing and had found itself the target of a concentrated attack from the three opposing Evas.

Nara swung low aiming for the Angel's legs. At the same time Shinji and Rei combined their AT fields and struck at the Angel. Forced to jump over Nara's attack, Lilith was unable to focus enough power into its AT field to block the attack from Shinji and Rei.

Taking the blow full on, Lilith stumbled backwards. Before Lilith could recover it was struck full in the face by Rei's spear. It stumbled backwards more and then went limp, crumbling to the floor. There was a large hole in its abdomen where the Lancea Longini had passed through, destroying its core.

Rising to its feet Adam turned towards the now unarmed Unit-01. It raised its arm and then brought it down in a kind of cutting gesture. Shinji jumped to the side but his right arm was severed by the invisible attack.

Unit-16 retrieved its spear from Lilith's body and turned towards the Angel. Unit-17 deployed its wings and flew high into the air.

Shinji gritted his teeth against the pain of having his arm severed. Reaching down with his Eva's left hand he picked up the severed limb and held it to the bloody hole in his Eva's shoulder. Flesh and armour flowed as the arm and shoulder rejoined.

Adam jumped towards Unit-16, lashing out with its AT field. The blow pushed Rei's Eva backwards and she was forced to focus her own AT field to prevent herself from being damaged. Adam continued its approach reaching out to strike Unit-16 but was stopped as Nara swooped down from above and attempted to skewer the Angel.

Adam dodged but had to break off its attack. Unit-16 deployed its wings and joined Unit-17 in the sky.

Adam's back rippled slightly and large glowing wings emerged. It was about to take off when it was grabbed from behind by Unit-01. Trying to break out of the Eva's grip Adam slammed the Eva with its AT field. Shinji had to fight to maintain his footing as he was blown backwards.

Adam took off, Unit-01 looked up and its own glowing wings emerged. Unit-01 took off to join the aerial battle.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma Eva Simulation Room)

Ritsuko continued to watch the screen. This was turning into quite the battle. She watched as Adam fought off the attacks of the three Evas, who were now circling it in the air.

(Virtual Battlefield)

Shinji flew a little higher to get above the other two Evas and Adam. He watched as Rei lashed out with her AT field and Nara swung his spear. Adam was forced to split its power between both blows. Both were still deflected but it gave Shinji an idea.

He activated his intercom. "When I say attack hit it with everything you've got ok."

Rei nodded. "Okay."

Nara just shrugged. "Fine with me."

Unit-01's arm reached up and a small gleam appeared in the sky. It was the Lancea Longini rushing towards the Eva. It reached Unit-01 and stopped just above its hand. Shinji grabbed the lance and spoke into his intercom. "Okay attack!!"

Both Rei and Nara lashed out with their AT fields striking at the Angel with their spears as well. At the same time Shinji dove towards Adam swinging the Lancea Longini in an overhead arc focusing his AT field around the weapon.

Adam raised its AT field and attempted to fend off the five attacks. It succeeded in blocking the attacks of Rei and Nara but was forced to use too much energy. It couldn't block Shinji's attack and was cleaved in two by the Lancea Longini its core being split in the process.

(Nerv, Eva Bays)

Misato looked over the sync test results as the three pilots got out of the entry plugs. Asuka was still holding 100 and Touji had improved slightly, now able to reach 81. Kensuke was a different matter, his sync ratio was only 53 and even that had taken him almost half an hour to achieve. Still it wasn't a bad start.

As the pilots approached Asuka was busy gloating over her superior score. "I managed to kill three of the Angels and one of them was Israfel so technically I killed four. And once again Suzuhara failed to kill anything."

Kensuke smiled victoriously. "I got a kill."

Asuka shook her head slightly. "You killed Matariel, anyone could kill Matariel. The fact that you were actually damaged is pitiful. Last time we did that simulation Nara killed it in about five seconds without taking any damage."

Kensuke's smile fell. "Oh…darn."

Misato stepped in front of the pilots. "All of you go back to the change room and put on your normal clothes, the others will meet you there then you can go."

(Nerv, Change Room)

By the time Asuka, Touji and Kensuke arrived, Rei, Shinji and Nara were already waiting outside the room fully dressed in their casual clothing. The remaining pilots hurried into the room and emerged soon after in their casual clothing.

As the six pilots walked towards the nearest Nerv exit, Asuka was busy recounting her battle to Shinji, Rei and Nara.

Kensuke walked beside Touji and leaned over to talk to his friend. "Is she always like this about the Evas?"

Touji signed. "Always."

(Two Weeks Later)

It had been two weeks since the beginning of the pilots training and things were progressing nicely. Asuka, Touji and Kensuke were getting closer and closer to winning their simulation. Rei, Shinji and Nara were growing more and more powerful and learning how to fully manipulate their AT fields. Unit-19 had been taken to the Eva bays and shown to the rest of Nerv's personnel. Touji had reached a sync ratio of 85 and Kensuke was up to 60.5, the other four pilots could still hold 100.

(The Apartment, Shinji and Rei's Room)

It was five o'clock in the morning and Rei was sleeping peacefully. Her head snuggled into Shinji's chest and her body pressed up to his side.

Shinji was still awake, absently stroking Rei's hair as he considered why he wasn't asleep. There was a sense of foreboding hanging over him. He didn't know what but something was going to happen today…something terrible.

He tightened his arm around Rei. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, not ever again.

Shinji closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. They snapped open again as the familiar sound of a siren filled the city.

(Nerv, Control Room)

The control room was rather full. Inside were the six pilots, Misato, Ritsuko, the three bridge bunnies, Fuyutsuki and Gendo.

A large screen showed a visible image of the 19th Angel, a creature that appeared built for battle. It was huge, almost as large as Gaghiel and had a large assortment of limbs. It stood on two thick segmented legs and had two long segmented arms ending in three clawed talons. It also had two additional sets of segmented arms but they were shorter and instead of ending in talons they ended in large scythe blades. Four flexible tentacles extended from its back and it had a very long and noticeable flexible tail that had several bladed spikes at its tip. Its body was thickly armoured and covered in several spikes. Its head was insectoid and had a four sided mouth that hung open, revealing several rows of razor sharp teeth. But perhaps the most frightening part was the many red orbs that littered its being; they adorned its body, its limbs and even its head. They were all identical and blended well with the Angels blood red body.

Asuka stared at the terrifying image. "Mein Gott, what is that thing."

Gendo had his hands folded before his face. "The Angel has been sighted by the JSSDF and is approaching their main base as we speak. The Evas will be aerial dropped into the base to fight the Angel."

Misato turned to the pilots. "Okay, get in your Evas and get to the surface."

(Ten Minutes Later, Airspace over JSSDF HQ)

Seven large black planes circled above the JSSDF base, each of them carrying the titanic form of an Eva.

Within the base was utter chaos. The Angel had arrived a few minutes ago and was busy destroying everything in sight. The JSSDF's prototype mecha had been deployed to battle it. The second stage of the Jatalone project, the mecka looked similar to its predecessor but its arms ended in large machine guns.

Shinji and the other pilots watched as the mecka opened fire on the Angel. Shinji noticed that despite the incredible power of the Angels AT field (stronger than his own) it didn't utilise its full potential, simply lashing out with it like an enraged animal. Some of the shots from the mecha's gun actually managed to get past the AT field though they were ineffective against the Angel's armour. Those that did penetrate the armour left only minor injuries that healed almost instantly.

Lightning quick the Angel's tentacles whipped around and grabbed the mecha's limbs, lifting it into the air. Its four bladed arms flashed forward, cutting the body in two and decapitating the mecka. Its tentacles pulled and the arms and legs were ripped off the two halves before being thrown to the ground.

The Angel stepped over the fallen mecka and drove one of its talons into the mecka chest, crushing the nuclear reactor inside. The resulting explosion disintegrated the Angel's talon and part of its arm. The Angel didn't appear to notice however and merely flexed its arm slightly. A completely new talon burst from the end of the arm, including a replacement core for the one that had been on the talon.

Gendo's cool voice came over the intercom. "Deploy the Evas."

There was a clicking noise as the locks holding Unit-01's shoulder blades let go and the Eva began to fall towards the ground. Shinji looked around and noticed all the other Evas being released at exactly the same time. About half way to the ground all the Evas deployed their wings and slowed their decent.

The Angel tilted its head up and roared at the spiralling Evas.

Following the plan set out by Misato, Units 01, 14, 16, 17 and 19 headed for the ground while Units 15 and 18 remained circling and brought their machine guns to bear.

As the five Evas landed around the Angel the other two opened fire with their weapons. A hail of fire showered down on the Angel tearing at its body and puncturing several cores. Mere seconds after the fire stopped however the Angel's wounds healed and its cores reconstructed themselves.

The fire however did manage to buy enough time for the five landing Evas to get into position around the Angel. Units 15 and 18 circled around and towards the ground while below them the real battle began.

All five Evas jumped to the attack. Units 16, 17 and 19 drove their spears towards the Angel. Unit-14 swung both of its axes forward and Unit-01 slashed forward with the Lancea Longini.

The Angel reacted quickly lashing out with all its limbs at once. Its tentacles shot out sideways towards Units 16 and 17. Both Evas had one tentacle wrap around their waist stopping their forward movement, and another tentacle wrap around their spears, pulling them from their hands. As soon as it had disarmed them, the Angel threw the Evas away.

At the same time it smashed its long tail into Unit-19 knocking the Eva backwards and tearing large chunks out of its chest with the tails spikes. Its long segmented arms lashed out and its talons grabbed Unit-14's arms, two of its scythe blade tipped arms slashing forward and severing the Eva's arms, causing it to fall to the ground.

Unit-01 was struck full-on by the Angel's AT field and was sent flying backwards to crash into a large hangar.

The Angel took aim and hurled its two recently acquired spears at the circling Evas. Touji managed to avoid the attack but Kensuke was to slow. Unit-18 took the spear full in the chest and it came out the other-side. Kensuke screamed and his Eva plummeted to the ground, dropping its gun and breaking its wings in the fall.

Asuka swore as she tried to bring her Eva to its feet, clutching at her shoulders in pain. "How can we possible defeat this thing?"

Touji landed Unit-15 next to her, holding the spear the Angel had tried to skewer him with. He noticed Rei's Eva rising from where it had landed and threw the spear over to her. Unit-16 snatched the spear out of the air as it rose.

Nara rose and stepped over to the fallen form of Unit-18, reluctantly pulling his spear out of its chest. He was just glad that Kensuke had lost consciousness, it would dull the pain.

As this was happening Unit-19 charged the Angel from behind but was pulled up sort when the Angel's tail whipped its leg out from under it. Unit-19 crashed to the ground and then the Angel was upon it. The Angel drove two of its blades deep into Unit-19's chest and then pulled then up and out, tearing open the Eva and destroying its Internal Dummy Plug System.

As the Angel began to rise it was set upon by Units 16 & 17 from either side and Unit-01 from the front. All three drove their weapons into the Angel, puncturing several of its cores.

The cores went critical and detonated, blowing off large chunks of the Angel and knocking the Evas back.

Yet as the light cleared the Angel still stood, regenerating at an incredible rate. A hail of gunfire from Unit-15 assaulted it but it didn't even seem to notice.

Asuka swore loudly as she held the second of her severed arms to her Eva's shoulder (Touji attached the first). "No matter what we do, it just keeps on regenerating. Even destroying some its cores doesn't work. They just come back before we even try to destroy the rest." She gritted her teeth as she felt the arm and shoulder knit back together, it was an extremely painful process.

No one else got a chance to respond as the Angel charged towards Units 14 & 15. The other three active Evas moved to help but the Angel charged Unit-14 head-on. Asuka's Eva was tackled to the ground and the Angel's talons began to tear chunks from its chest. Unit-15 tried to attack the Angel but was grabbed by one of the Angel's tentacles and lifted off the ground, before being thrown clear across the base to crass in a heap.

Unit-16 drove its spear into the Angel's back but was struck by the Angels AT field and thrown backwards, leaving the spear in the Angel. Unit-17 was slightly more successful, using its spear it severed the Angel's tail and proceeded to jump onto the Angel's back, narrowly avoiding the Angel's tentacles and driving its spear through the back of the Angels head and out one of its eyes. The tail however grew back, wiped around the Angel's back and smashed into Unit-17 sending it flying but leaving the spear.

While these attacks failed they did distract the Angel enough for Shinji to make his move. Using the Lancea Longini, Shinji severed the Angel's talons. Unit-14 brought its legs up and kicked its way out from under the Angel, narrowly avoiding the Angel's blades.

As Unit-14 rose, Unit-01 held out a cautionary hand. Shinji's voice came over the intercom. "Get away and take the others with you, don't forget Kensuke."

Asuka shook her head slightly. "What are you talking about? There's no way you can beat that thing on your own."

Shinji watched the Angel prepare to attack. "Just do it! I'll finish this. I'll wipe out all its cores at once!!"

Rei's voice came over the intercom, along with a picture of her concerned face. "Shinji, what's happening?"

Shinji sent a visible image to Rei's Eva and tried to give her a reassuring smile. "It's okay Rei, don't worry just go."

Any further conversation was cut off as the Angel tried to attack Unit-01. Shinji threw up his hands and activated his AT field at maximum power. While it stopped the Angel's attack it didn't stop the momentum and both of the huge behemoths crashed into the mountain that bordered the base. The Angel almost completely obscuring the smaller form of Unit-01.

Asuka hesitated a moment then turned and ran over to Unit-18, beginning to drag it along the ground. The other Evas began to back off as well, Touji helping Asuka with Kensuke.

Within Unit-01, Shinji felt every impact on his AT field. It was holding for the moment but it was only a matter of time till the Angel broke through. Shinji closed his eyes and concentrated, all around him the Eva began to glow slightly as power coursed through it.

Nara felt something…change in Unit-01, he knew this felling but he didn't know from where. Then it hit him, Sahaqiel!! This felling was in Sahaqiel's memories. He knew what was happening; Shinji was turning his Eva into a living bomb.

Rei felt it too. Her Eva came to a rather sudden stop. "Shinji, don't do it!!"

A couple of tears flowed from Shinji's eyes and dissipated in the LCL. Rei had stopped but she and the others were already far enough away. He had to act before she decided to come back. Shinji closed his eyes, dispelling a few more tears. "Aishiteru Rei-chan."

The Angel finally broke through Unit-01's AT field and lashed out with all its limbs towards the exposed Eva. The limbs however, never reached their intended target. Shinji's eyes snapped open and a slight smile crossed his lips. "You lose."

All the power that had been building-up in Unit-01 was released at once. The centre of the explosion was Unit-01's overcharged S2 organ. Unit-01, the Angel and everything around them were engulfed by a huge white dome.

The dome continued to spread coming to encompass the entire base and the surrounding mountains. It engulfed all the Evas as it spread. Several AT fields rose to fend off the destruction.

As the dome dissipated it revealed a giant crater. The crater was almost completely empty, every part of the JSSDF base had been destroyed and much of the surrounding terrain was completely gone.

Four huge forms stood in that crater, a fifth lying between two of them. The Evas' armour was melted and their bodies were badly damaged but they were never the less still functioning and their pilots were still alive. Unit-19 however had not raised its AT field and none of the other Evas had been close enough to spread their field over it, so it had been almost destroyed by the explosion. Most of its armour was gone and parts of its body had been torn to shreds. Still it was salvageable and would be able to fight again.

Of Unit-01 and the Angel (as well as the Lancea Longini and the two Longinus spears) there was nothing left. The center of the crater was completely empty.

Touji could only stare at the complete destruction; his mouth struggled to form words. When they finally came they weren't exactly what he'd been aiming for. "Holy shit!!"

Asuka expressed a similar opinion. "Mein Gott!!"

Nara didn't say anything, he just bowed his head. Listening to the sounds of Rei crying.

The girl was weeping uncontrollable. "Shin-chan…Shin-chan…Shin-chan…" That was all she could say between sobs. She was desperately trying to establish a link to Shinji but it was no good, there was nothing she could link to.

Unit-16 started running towards the craters center. Unit-17 started to follow it.

Rei got close to the center and ejected her entry plug, climbing down the back of her Eva to get to the ground. Nara brought his Eva next to hers and followed suit.

Rei reached the ground and started running towards the craters center but was stopped when Nara grabbed her from behind and spun her around to face him. "Rei stop it, there's nothing you can do."

Rei struggled for a few seconds then gave up. Collapsing against Nara she began to cry into his shoulder. "Nara, I can't feel Shin-chan."

Nara tried to comfort Rei bringing both of them down on their knees and holding her gently. "Neither can I Rei, I'm sorry but he's gone."

Rei cried harder. "No…he can't be gone." She gave up on talking and just cried.

Nara looked up as the shadow of Unit-14 fell over them. He could see Unit-15 in the distance, crouched over Unit-18.

Asuka got out of her Eva and joined the two teens on the ground. She didn't say anything she just knelt down next to them and put her arms around Rei, helping Nara comfort the girl. A few tears rolled down Asuka's cheeks as well.

(2 Hours Later, Nerv VTOL)

Misato stood at the VTOL's door as it took off. Watching the recovery teams spread over the site looking for anything related to the Eva's or the Angel. The large black planes were landing and the Evas were being attached, being prepared for the return to Nerv.

Misato looked back into the VTOL's interior. The five pilots were seated near the rear of the plane. Kensuke was having a quiet conversation with Touji about what had happened after he'd lost consciousness. They were obviously trying to not let Rei overhear the conversation. Asuka was sitting near the two boys but wasn't participating in the conversation; instead she simple stared out the window at the rapidly shrinking battlefield.

Rei and Nara were sitting on the other side of the VTOL. Nara still hadn't shed any tears but Misato had long since realised he was merely holding them in to help comfort Rei. Rei was still crying quietly, she hadn't stopped the entire time Misato had been watching her. Misato felt bad enough, Shinji had been almost like a son to her. She couldn't imagine how hard this must be on Rei.

Looking back out the window, Misato dwelled for a moment on what had happened today. Shinji was dead, she was sure of that. It wasn't like when Rei had self-destructed her Eva. There was absolutely nothing left, just a giant crater. A few tears rolled down Misato's cheeks.

* * *

End Notes: Review please. If you don't review I'll never get better. 


	4. Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion, and so on, and so on.

Author's Notes: Chapter 4, this should make some things clear that weren't clear before. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially Hamstadini and dennisud who gave some good constructive criticism. As I'm sure you can guess this was written before I got your reviews but I'll be sure to keep everything in mind for future chapters.

* * *

**4. Memories**

(The Apartment)

Rei lay in the bed she usually shared with Shinji. She was curled into a tight ball with tears even now flowing down her cheeks. She didn't make a sound; she just lay there with a vacant look in her eyes.

Nara stood in the doorway. He'd tried unsuccessfully to comfort her after they'd gotten home but had eventually given up. Watching her now, tears were flowing down his cheeks as well. He'd been a little surprised when they first appeared but they were to be expected. Along with Rei, Shinji had been one of the two beings that created him. The two of them were the only family Nara had and now one of them was gone.

Nara was broken from his thoughts by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Wiping at his eyes with the back of his arm he went to answer it.

When he opened the door he was mildly surprised to see Misato on the other side with Asuka and Hikari behind her.

Nara rubbed the remaining tears from his eyes and looked down at the floor. He wasn't suppose to cry, he was suppose to look after Rei. He flinched slightly as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

Misato pulled Nara into an embrace. The boy tried to pull away at first then gave up and allowed himself to be comforted.

Misato looked into the boy's eyes. "Nara, it's okay to cry. You shouldn't try to hold everything in."

"I…" Nara shook his head slightly. "Why are you here?"

Asuka stepped up beside Misato. "We came to see how you and Rei are holding up."

Nara pulled away from Misato, who let him go though a little reluctantly. The boy turned and led the three females into the apartment. "I'm okay…but I'm worried about Rei. She won't come out of her and Shinji's room."

Asuka and Hikari immediately walked down the hallway towards Shinji and Rei's room but Misato turned to Nara again. "Are you sure you're alright Nara?"

"I'm fine Misato, it's just that…Shinji was my friend, and now he's gone." Several tears rolled down Nara's cheeks. He rubbed angrily at his eyes. "It's not important, please, go help Rei."

Nara walked over and lay down on the couch. Misato wanted to help him but she also wanted to help Rei, and Nara had told her to go to Rei so she turned and walked down the hallway.

(The Apartment, Shinji and Rei's Room)

The door slid open quietly and Asuka and Hikari stepped in, closing the door behind them.

Rei didn't move, she didn't even acknowledge their presence. She knew they were there but she didn't care. Shinji was gone, nothing mattered anymore.

Asuka sat on the bed and half reached out towards Rei then let her hand drop. Hikari stood beside Asuka and looked down at Rei. Neither girl knew what to do.

Rei continued to ignore them, curling into a tighter ball. She wished they'd leave her alone. She wanted to be alone with her grief.

The door slid open again to emit Misato. The woman walked over to the bed. Asuka got up and Misato took her place.

Unlike the girls Misato was not disheartened by Rei's lack of response. Wrapping her arms around the girl, she picked Rei up and hugged her.

Rei didn't bother struggling, she didn't have enough strength to struggle. She felt drained, empty. She allowed Misato to hold her and cried into the woman's shoulder, making a sound for the first time in hours, a low keening wail.

Misato held the girl gently. "It's okay Rei, calm down."

Asuka and Hikari sat on the bed next to Misato and put their arms around Rei. Rei stopped wailing and just cried.

Misato rubbed Rei's back. "Do you want anything Rei?"

Rei didn't respond for several seconds and then finally she spoke. "I want…Shin-chan."

Misato held the girl a little tighter. "I'm so sorry Rei."

As Rei went back to crying and Misato, Asuka and Hikari continued to try and comfort her, the sound of a cell phone was heard briefly before cutting off abruptly.

Asuka held her hand to Rei's cheek, catching some of the girl's tears. "Things will be okay Rei."

There was the sound of an exclamation from the living room and a few seconds later Nara slid the door open and burst into the room. "Rei come on, we're going to Nerv."

Rei raised her tear stained face from Misato's shoulder. "Wh…why?"

Nara walked over to the bed and took Rei's hand, pulling her away from Misato and off the bed. "Trust me Rei, we need to go to Nerv." He began to lead the girl from the room.

Misato stood up and followed them. "Nara, what are you doing?"

Nara pulled Rei to the door and slipped on his shoes as Rei slipped on hers. "I'm sorry major, you should go home. Thank you for coming."

Nara pulled Rei out the door and left it open for the others. As soon as they were out of earshot from the others he turned to Rei. "They found Shinji's S2 organ."

Rei eyes widened slightly and then she took off down the hall, followed closely by Nara.

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

Ritsuko stood in-front of the commander's desk, Fuyutsuki stood beside the commander and Gendo sat in his normal position, hands folded before his face.

Gendo's glasses flashed as he looked up at Ritsuko. "Are you sure the S2 organ recovered from the crater is pilot Ikari's?"

Ritsuko looked down at her notepad. "Yes sir, it matches the scans I made of Shinji's S2 organ."

Gendo didn't move his gaze from the doctor. "Good, how is the project progressing?"

"We're on schedule sir, all we need now is Rei and Nara." Ritsuko glanced at her watch. "They should be here soon."

(Tokyo-3)

Rei was running along a road towards Nerv headquarters, Nara following close behind.

Rei's mind was racing. If Shinji's S2 organ had survived the explosion, then maybe they could bring him back. Even Rei wasn't sure just what an S2 organ could do but it was certainly worth trying. Anything that could bring her Shin-chan back was worth trying.

As Rei's thoughts continued they stirred up a memory. A memory from before Third Impact, from when her relationship with Shinji started.

(3 Days Before Third Impact, Tokyo-3)

Rei watched as Shinji stepped out of the commander's office. She had been mildly surprised when she saw Shinji enter his father's office.

She had waited outside the office. She had nowhere else she needed to be right now and this situation interested her. A very rare occurrence in itself.

As Shinji stepped out of the office his eyes locked with Rei's.

"Hello Ayanami." Shinji's voice was hollow…empty.

Rei inclined her head slightly. "Ikari."

Shinji made no further response, he just turned and headed down the corridor.

For reasons she did not yet understand, Rei followed him.

The two teens walked through Nerv in silence, navigating the maze of corridors with ease. No-one tried to talk to them as they passed. Everyone knew Rei never engaged in pointless conversation and after the incident with the 17th Angel Shinji was the same.

It wasn't until they had left Nerv that Shinji finally stopped walking. "Why are you following me Ayanami?" He didn't turn around as he spoke.

Rei blinked. "I…do not know. Does it…bother you?"

Shinji shrugged almost imperceptibly. "Not really." He began to walk off again. Rei followed.

Rei had expected Shinji to return to his apartment but instead he headed up the mountain at the back of the city. Rei continued to follow him.

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Ritsuko led Rei and Nara into a small room deep in the depths of Terminal Dogma. Inside was a single pedestal and on that pedestal was a miniature S2 organ. Shinji's S2 organ.

Managing to control her urge to run, Rei walked across the room and picked up the small red orb. She clutched the orb in her hand and closed her eyes. "It's dormant…faint."

Ritsuko stepped up beside the girl. "Can you do anything?"

Rei nodded slightly. "I believe so."

Rei held the orb with both hands and held it to her chest. Her hands rested there for a second and then she…pushed. Rei's hands slid into her body, taking the S2 organ with them.

Rei let out a soft gasp and her eyes snapped open. She pulled her hands from her body but they no longer held Shinji's S2 organ. "I believe being next to my S2 organ will help Shinji's. I can already fell it working."

Ritsuko raised one eyebrow. "Doesn't that hurt?"

Rei shook her head slightly. "No, it does not hurt. Shinji could never hurt me."

(3 Days Before Third Impact, Tokyo-3)

Shinji stood on the edge of the precipice overlooking Tokyo-3. Rei stood beside him.

Neither teen spoke, they just looked down at the city they were supposed to protect. A large part of the city had been destroyed when Rei self-destructed her Eva and most of the inhabitants had left, leaving only Nerv personnel.

Rei glanced sideways at Shinji. "Why did you come here Ikari?"

Shinji continued to look at the city. "I don't know Ayanami. I just didn't want to go back to Misato's."

"Why?"

"Because she doesn't understand. She tries to make me feel better, she won't accept that there's nothing wrong with me. I've just come to accept that nothing in this world matters. I don't care anymore."

Rei watched Shinji for a few more seconds before turning back to the city. "What did you talk to the commander about?"

"I wanted him to answer some questions. About the Angels. About Unit-01." He turned to look at Rei, who turned to look at him. "And about you."

Rei blinked. "About me, what do you know about me Ikari?"

Shinji turned back to the city. "I know you were created by my father to serve a purpose. I know that you were created in part from my mother's genes. I know that part of your genetic make-up comes from Lilith, the 2nd Angel. I know that my father made multiple clones of you so you could be replaced if you died. And I know you have already died twice."

A look of actual surprise briefly crossed Rei's face. "How do you know so much Ikari?"

"Ritsuko told me some of it; my father told me the rest."

"So you believe I am Yui Ikari?"

Shinji shook his head. "No you are not Yui Ikari. My mother is in Unit-01. You are Rei Ayanami…the last Rei Ayanami."

Rei looked into Shinji's eyes as he turned back to her. "What do you mean…last?"

"Did no-one tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"After she showed them to me and Misato, Ritsuko destroyed all your clones. You are the last Rei Ayanami." Shinji chuckled slightly. "Third time lucky, you better hope you don't die this time Ayanami."

Rei eyes widened slightly. "She destroyed them all?"

"Yes."

"I see." Rei turned back to the city, as did Shinji.

Although her face didn't show it, Rei was in turmoil. All her clones were destroyed. If she died she wouldn't be brought back. For one of the first times in her life Rei was afraid.

Despite herself Rei trembled, then let out a small gasp as she felt arms encircle her.

Shinji held Rei gentle. "It's ok to be scared Rei."

"I've…never had to fear death before Shinji."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

The two stood there for a while looking down at the city. The fact that they had addressed each other by their first names wasn't lost on either of them.

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Ritsuko, Rei and Nara stood in the elevator as it descended towards the bottom floor of Terminal Dogma.

Nara turned to Ritsuko. "What are you planning to do?"

Ritsuko didn't turn her eyes from the elevator's doors. "You will see soon."

(3 Days Before Third Impact, Tokyo-3)

Rei shivered slightly as a cold breeze blew across the mountain side. She was thankful that Shinji had his arms around her, it helped against the cold.

Rei rested more of her weight against Shinji. "We can't stay here forever Shinji."

"I know." Shinji let go of Rei and turned back to the road. "Let's go."

A little sorry that Shinji had let go of her, Rei followed him as he began to head back towards the city.

As the two walked along Shinji asked Rei a question he'd wanted to ask for a while. "Why did you do it Rei?"

"Do what?"

"Self-destruct your Eva."

The subject matter surprised Rei. "I…cannot remember. I believe it had something to do with you. I think…I wanted to protect you."

Shinji took a moment to respond. "I'm glad you came back Rei. I don't know if I could have handled it if you didn't."

"Why?"

"Because I care about you. I don't want you to die."

The conversation broke off and the two teens returned to silence.

As Rei and Shinji re-entered Tokyo-3 they paused for a few moments then headed off.

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Reaching the bottom floor of Terminal Dogma the elevators doors slid open and the three occupants stepped out.

Ritsuko led the two teens to the room just right of the elevator. The only room that's contents they hadn't yet seen.

Ritsuko keyed the 12 digit code into the doors lock and there was a metallic hissing sound as it slid open.

On the other side was a large circular room with computer terminals all around the perimeter and a single glowing tube in the centre.

As the three stepped into the room Maya came up in front of them. She gave the two teenagers an uneasy look. She'd only recently found out what they were and she wasn't sure what to make of the information.

Ritsuko's calm voice interrupted Maya's thoughts. "What's the status of the body lieutenant?"

Maya glanced sideways at a computer screen. "All vitals are normal, it's definitely alive but brain waves are minimal."

Ritsuko looked over at the tube. "As expected. He doesn't have a soul yet."

Rei and Nara were already standing in front of the tube. It stretched from floor to ceiling and was connected to several hundred wired at the bottom and top. The tube was filled with LCL and in the center floating in the LCL was…Shinji.

Rei stared at the figure. It was Shinji and yet it was very different. The facial features and basic body structure was that of Shinji's but that was where the similarities ended. The figure in the tube was much taller than Shinji, about the same height as his father. It was also better built. There were visible compacted muscles along its form which despite not quite matching up to its height still made it look like a fighter. The hair too was different, a jet black colour. Although these changes were rather extreme they were not what held Rei's attention. Barely visible on the palm of each hand were small red circles that appeared to be made of some sort of reflective material. Rei recognised them as being similar to those that had been on the hands of Sachiel. And finally sprouting from the figures back were wings, jet black in colour and similar to those of a bird. They were attached to the shoulders and made the figure look like some sort of dark Angel. The figure was wearing a black suit that covered its entire body and was attached to an assortment of wires, there were extra holes in the suit to accommodate the wings.

Rei placed her hand on the glass. He looked different but this was still Shin-chan. Her Shin-chan. She could feel Shinji's S2 organ within her, it was almost touching her S2 organ. The close proximity had helped with the reactivation of Shinji's S2 organ but something more was needed.

Once again Rei pushed her hand into her chest and closed it around Shinji's S2 organ. She pulled out her hand and the S2 organ with it.

Ritsuko stepped up beside her. "Can you put the S2 organ into this body?"

Rei looked at the tube. "Yes, but not through the glass."

Ritsuko pressed a button on the computer console next to the tube and the LCL began to drain. The body slumped against the glass as the tube emptied. When it was completely empty Ritsuko hit another button and the front of the glass slid open. Nara stepped forward and caught the body as it fell, laying it on the ground.

Rei kneeled next to the body and laid the S2 organ on its chest. Gentle she pushed and the organ sunk into the chest along with Rei's hands. The body jerked arching its back, and its eyes snapped open. The eyes were blood red, darker than Rei and Nara's. They stayed open for little more than a second before closing again. The body slumped back to the floor.

Maya called out to Ritsuko from one of the consoles. "Ma'am the suits registering a massive increase in brain waves but they're pretty erratic."

Nara stepped up next to Ritsuko. "Ritsuko, where did you get this body?"

Ritsuko appeared to consider her answer. "It is a clone of Shinji, we created it from the DNA strands I extracted from him while you three were still dormant."

Nara looked back at the body, Rei was still knelling next to it with her hands in its chest. "What did you do to it?"

"Nothing we just added the DNA to an embryo and it turned into this, we didn't even need to accelerate its growth."

Rei began to speak, not moving her eyes from the body's chest. "When Shinji and I assimilated the Angels it altered our DNA. At the time however we did not want to change so we suppressed the changes, retaining our original forms. We did the same with Nara. Since this body was cloned without a consciousness it was not able to fight the changes."

Ritsuko consulted one of the computer consoles. "Our scans show that this Shinji is more powerful than the original one."

Rei looked up at the doctor. "That is to be expected, this is his true form." She withdrew her hands from the body's chest, leaving the S2 organ behind. "I have done all I can."

Just then several alarms went off throughout Nerv.

(3 Days Before Third Impact, Rei's Apartment)

After wandering around the city for awhile Shinji and Rei had eventually ended up at Rei's apartment.

Rei was sitting on her bed and Shinji was leaning against a nearby wall.

Shinji looked over at Rei. "We don't have very good lives do we Rei."

Rei made eye contact with Shinji. "No we do not."

Shinji looked down at his feet. "Three days left."

Rei blinked, he couldn't know could he. "What do you mean Shinji?"

"Three days until Third Impact."

Rei actually looked shocked. "You know about Third Impact."

"Of course, Unit-01 is necessary for Third Impact and I am its pilot."

"I did not think the commander was going to tell you."

Shinji looked up at Rei again. "He wasn't. He thought I might try to stop it. He no longer thinks that."

"Will you try to stop it?"

"No."

Silence reigned again for a few minutes until Rei spoke. "Genetically we are related, does that bother you Shinji?"

"No. I don't think anything really bothers me anymore."

Rei got up and stood in front of Shinji. The two looked into each other eyes for a few seconds then Shinji grabbed the sides of Rei's head and kissed her passionately. Rei returned the kiss, pressing her body up against Shinji's.

As the two parted for air Rei whispered in Shinji's ear. "Do you want to make love to me Shinji?"

For some reason Shinji wasn't surprised by the question, or the answer. "Yes."

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Misato hurried onto the command deck. She ran over to Makoto. "What's happening?"

Makoto looked up at her from his console. "The MAGI have detected multiple AT fields approaching the city. We haven't yet confirmed whether or not they're Angels."

Misato made a grunting noise. "What else could they be?"

The elevator door behind them opened and Ritsuko and Maya stepped out.

Both immediately sat down at consoles and started typing.

Ritsuko looked up at Misato. "I sent Rei and Nara to the change rooms, what about Asuka?"

Misato looked over at her friend. "I sent her to the change rooms too and I saw Touji and Kensuke running into the complex."

Ritsuko looked back to her computer. "Good."

Misato noticed she hadn't stopped typing the entire time.

Gendo appeared on his raised viewing platform. "Report."

Misato turned to look up at him. "Multiple AT fields sir, closing on the city."

Gendo's glasses glinted slightly. "Do you have a visual?"

Misato shook her head slightly. "Not yet sir."

Maya looked up at the commander. "Sir the MAGI have got a visual on several of the AT fields."

Gendo glanced sideways as Fuyutsuki stepped up beside him then turned to Maya. "Show me."

Maya hit a button on her console and one of the room's giant screens came to life. It showed a camera view of the sky with five distant figures flying over. As Maya hit more buttons the screen zoomed in on the figures.

Almost everyone in the room gasped. On the screen were five Evas.

Misato recognised the Evas' shapes and strange elongated heads that appeared to be all mouth. "Seele."

Ritsuko stared at the screen. They did indeed appear to be Seele's Evas. They had the same white bodies, the same ugly white head, the same white wings and each was holding a red Longinus spear. They were however slightly different. Where before their shoulders had been bare they now had shoulder baffles and they appeared to be slightly larger than their predecessors.

Gendo's face showed no emotion as he looked at the screen. "It would appear Seele intends to attack us directly, deploy the Evas."

Before Misato could respond, Makoto swung around to face the commander. "Sir I have a visual on the final AT field. Blood pattern blue, it's definitely an Angel." He hit a button on his console and another one of the screens came to life.

What the screen revealed caused everyone but the commander to flinch slightly. On the screen was the largest Angel any of them had ever seen. It stood on four thick legs and towered over the mountains around it as it approached Tokyo-3. Its body was roughly circular and sat between its knees which were the highest parts of its body. It had no head, just two glowing red eyes at the front of its body. Its skin was a midnight blue.

Misato stared at the image. "It's huge."

Ritsuko consulted her console. "It's AT field is incredible strong, the strongest we've ever had to face."

Gendo crossed his hands before his face. "Deploy Unit's 14, 15 and 18 to battle Seele's Evas. Deploy Unit's 16 and 17 to battle the Angel."

Misato activated a small screen on one of the consoles. It showed the Eva bays. She was just in time to see the plugs enter the Evas. The children were in.

Ritsuko began to type the launch sequences into the computer.

Misato looked up at the commander then back to the screen. "Evas launch."

All five Evas went hurtling towards the surface.

(2 Days Before Third Impact, Rei's Apartment)

As the sun came through the single window in Rei's apartment it fell across a naked sleeping Rei lying in bed.

Yawning slightly Rei opened her eyes. She blinked several times when she noticed she was the only occupant of the bed. 'Where was Shinji'?

Rei looked down at the crumpled sheets at the foot of the bed. There was a faint trace of blood on them. Rei had to admit the sex had hurt at first but there had been pleasure also and as it had continued, the pain had vanished and the pleasure increased.

Rei looked up as she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Shinji walked into the room with one of Rei's few plates held in one hand, a sandwich sat on top.

Shinji walked over to the bed and looked down at Rei, smiling slightly. He held out the plate. "Here you're probable hungry since we didn't eat last night."

Rei gave Shinji one of her small but sincere smiles as she sat up and took the plate. "Thank you Shinji."

Rei bit into the sandwich. It was peanut butter. She liked peanut butter.

As Rei ate her sandwich Shinji started pulling on his clothes. When Rei finished she started pulling hers on as well.

The two teens had just finished dressing when there was a loud knocking on Rei's door.

Rei and Shinji both went to answer the door but before they reached it, it opened.

The man who stepped in was dressed in a black suit. Both teens recognised him as a Nerv agent.

He looked sternly at the two teens standing halfway down the hallway. "Are you two aware that all apartments of Nerv personnel, including this one are under constant surveillance?"

Both Shinji and Rei nodded slightly in response.

The Nerv agent grunted. "Then you should be aware that the commander knows of your…activities last night."

Neither of the teens appeared to be affected by the statement.

Noticing the uselessness of his words the Nerv agent turned. "The commander demands your presence in his office, you are to follow me."

As he left the two teens followed him.

(2 Days Before Third Impact, Commander's Office)

Gendo sat behind his desk with his hands folded in front of his face. His glasses glinted as he stared down the two teens in front of him. Gendo had told Fuyutsuki to leave, leaving only him and the two teens in the room. "Explain yourselves."

Shinji looked right back at his father without flinching. "What do want us to explain?"

Gendo scowled. "I want to know why you two had sex."

Rei kept her face expressionless. "Because we wanted to."

The commander managed to keep his anger in check but kept his voice stern. "I do not approve of this."

Shinji responded, his voice calm. "That…is not surprising."

Gendo continued as if Shinji hadn't spoken. "You two will be separated until further notice, you will only see each other in Nerv and even then only when it is necessary."

Shinji shrugged. "It hardly matters…it ends in two days anyway."

Rei didn't want to be separated from Shinji but he had a point and she had never disobeyed the commander. "I understand sir."

Gendo glared at his son for a second before making a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You may both leave, but remember stay away from each other."

Both teens turned and left without comment.

(Present, Tokyo-3)

Asuka watched the crosshairs on her view screen line up on an empty piece of sky. So far there was no site of the enemy Evas.

Unit-14, Unit-15 and Unit-18 had all been deployed just outside Tokyo-3's central district. All three were operating positron rifles like the one Unit-01 had used to destroy Ramiel.

Asuka glanced at Touji's Unit-15 to her right and then Kensuke's Unit-18 to her left. "As soon as they're in range, aim and fire. Make every shot count."

Touji activated his intercom. "Yeah we know."

Asuka was going to say more but was distracted as five white specks appeared in the distance. "Shit." Asuka zoomed in on the specks, sure enough they were the enemy Evas. Asuka could even make out the letters on their shoulders. It appeared Seele hadn't assigned numbers to these Evas, instead using numbers. The white Evas read A, B, C, D and E respectively.

Asuka pulled the bolt on the side of her gun. "Any preferences stooges?"

Touji chuckled slightly. "Nope."

"Then how bout we go by average marks in school. I'll take A, Aida can take C and you can take D Suzuhara."

Kensuke chose to ignore the insults. "What about B & E?"

Asuka smiled. "Once we take down the other three, those two are fair game. But by the time you two stooges are finished with yours I'll have taken down all the rest."

Both Touji and Kensuke laughed and readied their weapons, lining up on their respective targets.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

Units 16 & 17 had been deployed on the very edge of Tokyo-3, facing the mountain range behind it. Just crossing the mountains before them was the 20th Angel.

Nara watched the steady approach of the Angel. "This isn't going to be easy Rei, watch yourself."

Rei was also watching the Angel's approach. "I know, we'll both have to be careful."

Neither teen said anything else.

(2 Days Before Third Impact, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Misato was walking down one of the hundreds of hallways in Nerv. She was heading towards section two's operation center. Shinji hadn't returned to the apartment last night and she wanted to know where he was.

Misato turned into another hallway and stopped in her tracks. Standing in front of her was Shinji.

Misato took a step back. "Shinji, where have you been?"

Shinji's face was expressionless. "I was at Rei's."

Misato blinked several times, had she heard correctly. "Re…Rei's, you were at Rei's?"

"Yes."

"What were you doing there?"

Shinji shrugged slightly. "Having sex."

Misato's jaw dropped. Taking advantage of her temporary freeze Shinji stepped around her and continued down the hallway.

By the time Misato's regained her senses, Shinji had disappeared. Shaking her head slightly Misato continued down the hallway, no longer sure of her destination.

When she reached the end of the hallway she almost walked into Rei.

Misato looked blankly at the girl for a second and then what she had just been told reregistered on her consciousness. "Rei, is it true?"

As usual Rei's face betrayed nothing. "I…do not understand?"

"Did you sleep with Shinji?"

Rei began to walk past the Major. "Yes, I did."

Once again Misato froze on the spot.

(Present, Tokyo-3)

Asuka carefully lined her rifle up on Unit-A. Misato's voice was coming over her intercom. "Okay guys, your rifles take a long time to reload and they generate a lot of heat so you'll get a maximum of two shots before the Evas reach you. Aim carefully and don't miss."

Asuka grinned. "Thanks for the tip."

Asuka heard a loud beep as her crosshairs lined up on the enemy Eva. Asuka made sure she was lined up on the Eva's core and pulled the trigger.

The beam shot out, lancing towards the enemy Eva. Only to miss as the Eva rolled in mid-air and avoided the attack.

Asuka swore. "No fair, it moved."

Misato would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. "Did you expect it to stay still and let you shoot it?"

"How can I hit it if it keeps moving?" Asuka began to reload her rifle. She waited impatiently as it cooled down.

Meanwhile Touji and Kensuke were having a conversation of their own.

Touji watched the approaching Evas. "If we both aim for the same one, we can catch it off guard."

Kensuke was also watching the approaching Evas. "What do you mean?"

"Just aim at Unit-E and fire when I tell you."

Asuka was halfway through reloading her rifle when Kensuke fired, his beam zeroing in on Unit-E. 'Idiot, it will just move. If I can't hit it he certainly can't'.

Milli-seconds before the beam reached the Eva it began to move and Touji fired. Unit-E dodged Kensuke's attack only to take Touji's full-on. The beam ripped through the Eva's chest, obliterating its S2 organ. The useless body fell from the sky and crashed to the ground.

Misato's smiling image appeared on both the boys' view screens. "Yeah, good shot Touji. Good set up Kensuke."

"Thanks." Both boys said the same thing and began reloading their rifles.

Asuka grumbled something along the lines of it being a lucky shot as she finished reloading her rifle. She began to re-aim the rifle on Unit-A when she noticed something interesting. She smiled slightly.

Asuka lined up on Unit-B and fired.

Mere moments before the beam reached its target Unit-B dived downwards and dodged. Its absence however revealed Unit-C that had been passing above it and therefore unable to see the approaching attack. By the time Unit-B moved it was already too late and the beam blew Unit-C's head clear off sending the Eva plummeting to the ground.

Apparently having had enough the three remaining Evas swooped down and landed behind some nearby buildings, forcing the Nerv Evas to abandon their rifles.

Unit-14 let go of its rifle and stood up, picking up the two axes that had been placed on the ground in front of it. Asuka spun the axes and watched as Units 15 & 18 stood up hefting their machine guns.

(1 Day Before Third Impact, Nerv, Eva Bays)

Asuka and Shinji were in the middle of a sync test. Shinji was holding about 98 but Asuka's scores were lower and more erratic. They had a maximum of 72 and a minimum of 55 and were osculating between the two.

Ritsuko signed. "At least she can get it to start, that's something." She activated the intercom. "This test is over, you can both come out now."

The two teens exited their Evas and headed for the exit.

As Shinji walked Asuka pushed pass him shoving him out of the road. Shinji wasn't sure why but she was more pissed than usual.

As Shinji exited he saw Rei at the end of the hallway. Rei turned slightly to look at him and the two exchanged a brief smile before heading in opposite directions.

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Once again inside the tube Shinji's body floated, eyes closed. His body jerked slightly as a powerful shock shook him.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

Units 16 & 17 stood their ground as the massive Angel bore down upon them.

Misato's voice came over their intercoms along with a visual image of her face. "Rei, Nara the advanced positron rifle will be ready soon, stay put for a little longer."

Nara watched the Angel get closer. "Don't take too long."

The Angel took a few more steps forward and then the ground shook slightly as the advanced positron rifle fired on the side of a nearby mountain.

The beam lanced straight towards the Angel. It was almost there when it encountered the Angels AT field. The beam impacted, stayed there for a few moments then reflected off to cut a nearby mountain in two.

Misato swore. "Not even the advanced positron rifle can penetrate its AT field. Rei, Nara attack."

"Understood." Rei and Nara ran to the attack.

(Day of Third Impact, Outside Tokyo-3)

The massive form of Unit-02 crushed the tanks of the UN under its feet, swiping the aircraft from the air with its arms and smashing all around it with its AT field.

Asuka's voice screamed over the Eva's loud speakers. "Mother is protecting me, YOU CAN'T WIN."

Inside the entry plug Asuka was fully intent on the complete destruction of the UN force, paying no attention to her rapidly dropping power supply.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Shinji walked through one of the many corridors of Nerv heading for the Eva bays. He was aware of the explosions and gun shots going off all around him but they were of no interest. All that was important was getting to Unit-01 and taking it to Terminal Dogma to aid in Third Impact. In the back of his mind Shinji was dimly aware that his grip on sanity was weakening.

Thousands of images flew through his head. The Angels. The Evas. His mother. A bezerk Unit-01. Rei. Tabris. Lilith. The destruction of Unit-03. The death of Tabris. Rei's Eva exploding. The destruction of Rei's clones.

A shot whizzed passed Shinji's head missing him by millimetres. Shinji stopped walking and a team of men stepped out of the shadows in front of him.

One of the men talked into a radio. "Third Child located, commencing termination." The man raised his gun and pointed it at Shinji's head. "Nothing personal."

Shinji didn't blink he just glanced at the wall behind the men. On the opposite side of that wall was Unit-01. This close he could feel it and it could feel him.

The man had already begun to depress the trigger when there was a loud cracking noise, he jumped at the noise and his shot went wide. Growling slightly he re-aimed at the still unmoved Shinji.

The wall behind the men exploded outwards, throwing pieces of concrete everywhere. Before the men could even turn, the hand of Unit-01 slammed down on them, pulverising them into pools of blood and gore.

Unfazed Shinji stepped forward onto the Eva's hand which retracted through the hole it had made.

Once inside the Eva bay Shinji was greeted with the half bent over form of Unit-01. Most of its body was encased in bakelite and there was a large gorge where it had torn its arm free.

Shinji could see its eyes were glowing as the hand passed the Evas face to stop next to its shoulder. Shinji jumped off and walked down the Eva's back until he reached the entry plug, which promptly ejected to grant him access.

(Present, Tokyo-3)

Unit-14 stood at the edge of the central district of Tokyo-3 with Unit-15 & Unit-18 standing on either side of it.

Asuka watched as Unit-A, Unit-B and Unit-D approached through the rural district of Tokyo-3. "Three on three that means…" Asuka stopped mid-sentence and swore. Behind the three approaching Evas another was rising to its feet, this one didn't have a head. "Damn looks like taking its head off wasn't good enough." Even as Asuka watched the head began to regrow and the Eva started heading towards its allies.

Misato's voice interrupted Asuka's thoughts. "Okay you three, attack them before Unit-C can catch up."

None of the pilots responded but all three Nerv Evas took off towards their Seele counterparts.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Control Room)

Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki watched the view screen in front of him.

Everyone in the room was watching the scene playing out on the screen. Unit-01 was tearing its way out of the bakelite that surrounded it.

Fuyutsuki watched as Unit-01 tore its right leg free and levered itself out of the bakelite. "The Demon awakens." He glanced at a smaller screen next to the main one. It showed an image of the inside of the entry plug. The plug was empty except for a floating plug-suit. "Unit-01 has taken pilot Ikari into itself."

(Day of Third Impact, Outside Tokyo-3)

Asuka watched as the white Evas landed around her own. There were nine in total. She glanced at her power supply. Thirty seconds left.

Not interested in waiting to be attacked Asuka jumped the closest Eva. Unit-02 knocked the enemy Eva over and landed on top of it, pinning it to the group. Screaming in rage Asuka slammed her Eva's fist into the grinning mouth of the enemy Eva, putting the fist straight through its head.

The Eva however did not die. Its shattered head pulsed and began to reform as soon as Unit-02 removed its fist.

Before Asuka could attack the white Eva again she was knocked off it by one of the other enemy Evas. Unit-02 landed on its back and Asuka just managed to roll to the side and dodge a spear thrust by one of the enemy Evas.

Rising to its feet again Unit-02 found itself facing all nine enemy Evas. Growling, Asuka deployed her progressive knife and charged.

(Present, Tokyo-3)

Asuka was taking swings at Unit-A while trying to avoid its Longinus spear. Though Asuka preferred her progressive axes she had to admit that the reach of the Longinus spears made them deadly weapons, she could see why Rei and Nara used them.

Ducking under a particularly powerful swing by Unit-A Asuka delivered a powerful kick to the Eva's chest, driving it back. She then jumped forward, axes raised.

Nearby Touji was engaged with Unit-D. He'd already put several rounds through the enemy Eva and was trying to keep it at a distance.

Unit-D lunged forwards but was brought up short as Touji side-stepped the attack and kicked the Evas spear, knocking Unit-D off balanced. Touji finished up by firing his machine gun into the Evas face at close range, ripping it to shreds.

Kensuke's Unit-18 was facing off against Unit-B. So far neither had done much, mostly circling each other. Kensuke had fired several burst at the enemy Eva but it had dodged them.

The white Eva opened its shoulder baffle and withdrew a progressive knife. Kensuke opened fire with an extended burst. The enemy Eva deployed its wings and just barely dodged the attack. Once in the air it brought its arm down in a swipe and threw the progressive knife at Kensuke's Eva.

Kensuke tried to dodge but wasn't quick enough, the knife striking his Eva's shoulder. Unit-18 stumbled backwards a couple of steps.

As Unit-18 regained its balance Kensuke saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. It was however too late.

Unit-C stepped up behind Kensuke's Eva and drove its spear up through its body. The tip of the spear burst from Unit-18's chest on a slanted angle.

Unit-18 went completely limp, held up only by its position and the spear sticking out of it. The spear had passed through the Evas S2 organ. Unit-18 was dead.

Asuka had just pulled one of her axes out of Unit-A's S2 organ when she saw Unit-C drive its spear through Unit-18. "No Kensuke." She jumped off the dead body of Unit-A and hurled one of her axes at Unit-C, cleaning decapitating it. Unit-14 charged the headless Eva, smashing it into a nearby building.

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Misato stared at the screen showing Kensuke's Eva. "Is…is he still alive?"

Maya looked up from her console. "We don't know ma'am we can't get any readings from Unit-18."

Misato watched Unit-B head for the battle between Unit-15 and Unit-D. She activated the intercom. "Touji watch out, you have Unit-B incoming."

(Present, Tokyo-3)

Hearing Misato's message Touji pressed his attack against Unit-D. Unit-15 dodged around another spear thrust by the enemy Eva and holding its machine gun in one hand charged forward swinging its free hand at the Evas head. Unit-D however swung its spear back around and severed Unit-D's arm just below the shoulder.

Touji cried out in pain but didn't stumble and brought his second arm up, pressing the nozzle of his machine gun into Unit-D's chest. For a second Touji thought he saw the grin on the enemy Eva's partly regenerated face slip slightly. Touji pulled the trigger and Unit-D's back blew open, its S2 organ destroyed.

Touji's victory however wasn't without its consequences. As Touji pulled the trigger Unit-D was making one last swing with its Longinus spear and the momentum carried the attack through, slamming into Unit-15's chest.

No longer able to keep its balance, Unit-15 fell to its back. Looking up Touji found himself looking directly at Unit-B. Unit-B raised its spear then brought it down with titanic force on Unit-15's head. The head was smashed apart and Touji lost consciousness.

As soon as Unit-14 slammed Unit-C into the building Asuka had driven her remaining axe into its chest. Unfortunately she had missed the S2 organ. Pulling the axe out she jumped backwards and pulled her second axe out of the side of the building.

The enemy Eva rose to its feet and deployed its progressive knife, its head already half reformed. Before the Eva could fully regain its sight Asuka jumped forward swinging both axes. She embedded the first one in the Evas half reformed head and the other in the Evas S2 organ. Unit-C's dead body went limp.

Asuka pulled out her axes and turned. Just in time to see Unit-B drive its spear through Unit-15's chest.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

The Angel was faster then Rei had expected. As soon as Misato had given the go ahead she had run forward and deployed her wings, soaring into the air. She'd flown up over the Angel and brought her spear down in an overhead arc. No sooner had she begun the swing though than the Angel lifted one of its giant legs and slammed it into Unit-16.

Unit-16 was sent hurtling backwards by the impact. Rei felt like she'd been hit by a bus. Unit-16 eventually crashed to the ground several hundred meters from the Angel.

Nara had deployed his wings at the same time as Rei but when he saw Unit-16 get hit he folded in his wings and dropped to the ground. He landed in front of the Angels raised leg and jumped forward, swinging his spear. His spear impacted the Angel's AT field and stopped, unable to penetrate. Unit-17 started to back off, but it wasn't fast enough. The Angel brought its raised leg down, rushing towards Unit-17.

Nara threw up his hands and extended his AT field at the maximum just in time to catch the onrushing leg. Nara had to strain to stop his Eva from being crushed. The ground beneath his feet began to break; he could feel his arms weakening.

Just as it looked like Unit-17 was going to be crushed, a very battered Unit-16 ran up beside it and added its AT field and arms to Unit-17's. The two Evas pushed with their arms and AT fields until the leg was high enough for them to escape. The two jumped backwards and just manage to get out of the road as the leg slammed to the ground.

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Small cracks began to appear in the tube holding Shinji's body and the figures chest began to rise and fall at an increased pace.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Eva Bays)

Unit-01 began to tear its way out of the Eva bays, breaking through one of the walls. It was operating under two different souls. Yui Ikari's and Shinji Ikari's. Shinji's soul was the dominant one. Yui's soul was voluntarily dormant, not exerting any control on the Eva.

Shinji smashed his way to the shaft that led to Terminal Dogma and jumped in. Unit-01's AT field expanded below it to tear open the armour shutters one-by-one.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

The massive doors of Heaven's Gate slid open before Gendo and Rei, revealing the huge crucified form of Lilith the 2nd Angel.

Gendo glanced at his hand, which had the embryo form of Adam embedded in it, then at the naked Rei standing beside him. "It's time Rei."

"Understood."

(Day of Third Impact, Outside Tokyo-3)

Asuka drove her knife into the chest of one of the white Evas and felt its S2 organ break, the body went limp. Asuka tore the Longinus spear from the Seele Eva's loose grip. Turning, Asuka just managed to deflect a swing from one of the other Eva's spears.

Asuka spun her spear and prepared to strike. One of the enemy Evas was slightly in front of the others all she had to do was…

Unit-02 ran out of power.

Unit-02's body fell to the ground and the enemy Evas pounced, beginning to tear the red Eva to pieces, stuffing parts into their mouths. Asuka screamed at the top of her lungs.

(Day of Third Impact, Seele Conference Room)

The stone obelisks were all present and deep in conversation.

The obelisk marked 1 glowed brighter. "Without all nine mass-production Evas we cannot generate the anti-AT field. And besides Unit-01 is not on the surface. We have no choice but to send our remaining Evas down to terminal Dogma and stop Ikari before he can activate his version of the Third Impact."

The other obelisks agreed.

(Present, Tokyo-3)

Unit-14 and Unit-B circled each other. Unit-B was using its spear to keep Asuka at a constant distance.

Asuka glared at the offending Eva. This Eva had been involved in both the defeat of Kensuke and Touji, both of which might be dead.

Letting out a shriek of rage Asuka spun her Eva around and kicked Unit-B's spear, sending it flying. Unit-B immediately deployed its wings and attempted to take off but Asuka got to it first. Unit-14's axes came down, neatly severing both of the white Eva's wings. Asuka finished by bringing one of her axes down on the Eva's head, splitting it in two all the way from its head to its hip. Its S2 organ destroyed, the Angel collapsed.

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Misato watched as Unit-14 split the final enemy Eva in two. She signed; at least Seele's Evas had been defeated. There was still however the Angel to deal with.

Misato looked at the screens showing Rei and Nara's battle against the titanic Angel. After their initial attack, both Evas were severely damaged and were now trying to avoid attacks from the Angel.

Unfortunately unlike the last Angel, this one could fully utilise its AT field. Even as Misato watched the air around the Angel appeared to ripple and an unseen force blasted into Units 16 & 17, knocking both into nearby buildings that promptly collapsed.

Misato activated a channel to Unit-14. "Asuka I need you to go backup Rei and Nara."

Asuka didn't respond, she was staring at the motionless forms of Units 15 & 18.

"Asuka?"

Asuka shook her head violently. "Right, backup Rei and Nara, got it." Unit-14's wings deployed and it took off, angling towards the nearby battle.

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

The tube was now spider-webbed with cracks as an invisible force acted against it. The body inside the tube was starting to shake violently.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Gendo started to step into the LCL Chamber but turned as a powerful shock shook the ground.

Behind him one of the giant walls caved in as a form tore its way into the chamber. As the dust settled it revealed one of the remaining mass-production Evas with the other seven standing behind it.

The white Evas began to move forward towards Gendo and Rei.

Gendo took a few steps back. 'No it couldn't end like this, this wasn't supposed to happen'. Gendo knew that Rei wouldn't be able to hold off all seven, not by a long shot.

Just as the lead Eva was about to reach them the wall beside it exploded and the giant form of Unit-01 ploughed into it, smashing it into the opposite wall.

Unit-01 stepped back and the enemy Eva collapsed, its chest had a hole through it where Unit-01 had put its fist. Its S2 organ was gone.

Gendo regained his usual calm persona. "Unit-01 has come."

"That is Shinji."

Gendo turned to look at Rei. The girls face showed no expression. "What do you mean?"

"Shinji has become one with Unit-01, his soul is controlling the Eva."

As if to confirm Rei's statement Unit-01 turned slightly. One eye warily watching the other Evas, the other fixed on Gendo and Rei.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

The 20th Angel continued its advance into the city, occasionally lashing out with its AT field at the three attacking Evas.

Asuka grit her teeth as her Eva was struck by the Angels AT field and sent hurtling backwards, crushing several nearby buildings when it landed. "Misato, we can't even get through its AT field, how can we possible defeat it."

Misato was thinking the same thing. "Just keep hitting it, it must have a weakness."

Asuka watched as several cross-flares erupted around the giant Angel, only to disappear again when they failed to pierce the Angel's AT field. Rei and Nara had been attacking the Angel with cross-flares since Asuka had arrived. "You two have to tell me how to do that."

Rei's face appeared on Asuka's view screen. "Open yourself to your Eva Asuka; connect to your mother's soul."

Asuka blinked. How did Rei know her mother's soul was in Unit-14? "I'll try."

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Misato watched the ensuing battle between the Angel and the three remaining Evas. One of the screens showed cross-flares erupting around the Angel. The screen showing the Evas' status showed that Units 16 and 17's AT field strengths were way up on usual. After this battle she was going to need some answers.

Ritsuko was typing furiously on her keyboard. "This can't be possible. Asuka's sync ratio is rising. It's going over 100."

Misato whirled around to face her friend. "What!"

"You heard me Misato her sync ratio is at 235 and still rising."

On one of the view screens Unit-14 was beginning to walk towards the Angel, its four eyes glowing.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Unit-01 roared and charged into the mass-production Evas knocking several of them to the ground.

Gendo watched as the purple behemoth tore open one of the white Eva's chests and pulled out a gore covered S2 organ which it promptly crushed and threw aside. Unit-01 was then forced to jump off the Eva to avoid a spear thrust from one of the other white Evas.

Gendo turned to Rei. "Come Rei, we must begin." He began to walk towards Lilith.

Rei continued to watch Unit-01 for a few seconds, then turned and followed the commander.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

Asuka had been absorbed into her Eva; she had become one with it. As Unit-14 approach the Angel its AT field spread out, demolishing the surrounding buildings.

If the Angel noticed it showed no sign, continuing on it course.

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Maya turned to face Misato. "Asuka's sync ratio has levelled out at 400 ma'am."

Misato hardly heard her; she was staring at the screen that showed the inside of Asuka's entry plug. It was empty, except for a floating red plug suit.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Unit-01 was busy shredding one of the white Evas, throwing bloody pieces of flesh and armour to the side. In it current almost godly state Unit-01 was virtually unstoppable. Five mass-production Evas already lay dead around it and the remaining three were severely damaged.

Unit-01 finally pulled out the still struggling Eva's S2 organ and slammed it into the ground, crushing it. Only two Evas left.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, LCL Chamber)

Gendo pushed his hand deeper into Rei's abdomen. He could feel the embryo embedded in his hand reacting. Adam was awakening.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

Unit-14 roared, spreading its wings and taking to the sky. It threw its axes aside, diving straight for the Angel. Units 16 & 17 flew up beside it and together they expanded their AT fields.

Rei and Nara concentrated their AT fields and felt Unit-14 do the same. The three AT fields impacted against the Angels.

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Misato watched on the screens as the recovery teams gathered around Units 15 & 18.

Maya was still furiously typing on her keyboard. "The Evas are completely dormant they're not accepting any of my commands."

Misato saw one of the recovery vehicles raise its extendible arm to the back of Unit-18 and the man standing at its end activate the Eva's manual entry plug eject. The plug slid outwards and the man pulled the plug's manual release.

Misato held her breath as the plug opened and the LCL flowed out. Then let it out again as a hand came out of the plug and gripped the edge. Kensuke slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.

(Present, Tokyo-3)

The recovery team leader looked at the blood stained ground beneath his feet. Just in front of him was the turn-up form of Unit-15. Two of the destroyed Seele Evas lay nearby.

The other Evas were unimportant; his primary mission was to recover the 4th child. Looking now at the destroyed Unit-15 he doubted the boy was still alive.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, LCL Chamber)

Rei and Gendo were absorbed into the crucified form of Lilith which immediately began to change. Its body flowed off the cross and began to transform into a more human form.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Unit-01 raised its arm as it closed on the last two mass-production Evas. The enemy Evas stood their ground as Unit-01 stood unmoving before them. They stood like that for almost a minute before one of the white Evas finally jumped forward, swinging its spear.

Just before it reached its target the roof above Unit-01 tore open and a long red slender object flew into Unit-01's hand. The Lancea Longini. Unit-01 brought the massive weapon down in an overhead arc, neatly cutting the enemy Eva in two.

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

The machines hooked up to the tube were registering strong fluctuations in the occupants AT field and a rapid stabilization in brain waves. The wires connected to Shinji's suit were starting to snap.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

The battle against the 20th Angel was starting to heat up. Their AT fields stretched to breaking-point the three Evas were hitting the Angel with everything they have. Several times they'd managed to break through its AT field and stab or slash at its body. But every time the AT field would reform and they would be forced back, any damage to the Angel quickly healing.

Unit-14 blasted through the Angel's AT field next to one of its legs and cut a long line across it only to be blasted back by a hastily reformed AT field then smashed into the ground by the Angel's leg. Even as Unit-14 began to rise the wound on the Angel's leg healed.

The three Evas' S2 organs were proving less affective. Though there wounds were healing, they were healing at a slower pace than those of the Angel and the damage was slowly stacking up.

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, LCL Chamber)

The entrance way to the LCL Chamber exploded inwards as the huge form of one of the mass-production Evas was thrown through it. Unit-01 followed through the hole and embedded the Lancea Longini in the Evas chest. The white Eva twitched then went limp.

Unit-01 looked up at the giant white Rei standing before it. The 18th Angel.

(Day of Third Impact, Inside the 18th Angel)

Gendo's soul observed the arrival of Unit-01. "Yes. Now Rei absorb Unit-01 so I can be reunited with Yui."

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, LCL Chamber)

The 18th Angel reached down towards Unit-01. As the 18th Angel's fist enclosed Unit-01 it offered no resistance, simply allowing itself to be lifted.

(Day of Third Impact, Inside the 18th Angel)

As Unit-01 was absorbed into the Angel its two inhabiting souls materialised within it. Yui and Shinji. Gendo and Rei stood in front of them.

For once Gendo actually smiled as he stepped forward and embraced his wife.

Shinji looked sideways at his parents. "You are no longer needed." Before either of them could say anything Gendo and Yui disappeared.

Rei looked up at Shinji. "You are still linked to Unit-01."

Shinji locked eyes with Rei. "I still need its power."

Shinji and Rei stood in front of each for a moment then they kissed.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

As he rose from the debris of the building he'd crashed into Nara surveyed the damage to his Eva. Unit-17's S2 organ was operating at maximum capacity to repair the damage but it wasn't enough.

The building beside him collapsed in a cloud of dust as Unit-16 was thrown into it. He activated his intercom. "Rei, are you okay."

Unit-16 began to rise as Rei responded. "I'm okay Nara."

"We're not getting anywhere with these attacks Rei."

There was a pause before Rei responded. "I know but we have no choice."

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Inside the control room Misato could hear the conversation between Nara and Rei. Nara was right, they weren't getting anywhere with these attacks. But what else could they do.

As Misato watched Unit-14 launched another assault against the Angel, only to be blasted back by the Angel's AT field and sent ploughing into the ground, leaving a long ditch. For the moment at least Units 16 & 17 were staying back.

(Day of Third Impact, Inside the 18th Angel)

Rei was breathing hard as she held herself up with her arms. A hand positioned on each side of Shinji's chest. She was looking directly into Shinji's eyes.

Shinji was breathing hard as well. He reached up and wiped some of the sweat from Rei's forehead. "Are you okay Rei?"

Rei smiled slightly. "I am fine Shinji."

There was silence for a moment but it was abruptly broken by the sound of someone clapping.

A boy appeared standing next to Rei and Shinji. "Well, that was entertaining."

Shinji looked at the boy. "Kaoru."

The boy smiled. "Hello Shinji, hello Rei."

Rei stood up and helped Shinji to his feet. "Why are you here Tabris?"

Tabris spread his arms. "We are all here, to join with the 18th Angel."

As Tabris spoke 14 pillars of light appeared behind him. The 3rd to 16th Angels.

In response two pillars of light appeared behind Shinji and Rei and formed into the shapes of Adam the 1st Angel and Lilith the 2nd Angel.

Tabris looked around him. "We are all here, it is time."

(Day of Third Impact, Nerv, Control Room)

Ritsuko stepped up beside Fuyutsuki. "It has started."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Yes, it has."

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Misato watched the continuing battle with the Angel. "Lets give the advanced positron rifle another go."

"Yes ma'am." Maya started typing furiously on her keyboard.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

Unit-16 jumped backwards just in time to avoid being crushed under foot by the Angel. Unit-17 flew up and other the leg and attempted to strike at the joint between leg and body but was buffeted back by the Angel's AT field.

Unit-14 was getting ready to launch an attack against the Angel when the ground shook. The advanced positron rifle had fired.

The rifles beam lanced towards the Angel and struck the Angel's AT field at the exact same time as Unit-14 flung its AT field against the Angel's. The AT field held for a few seconds than gave way. The beam shot into the Angel, burning a hole through its outside.

Suddenly a hexagonal AT field flashed into existence and intersected the beam. The beam reflected off the AT field and lanced towards the mountain it had been fired from.

The beam struck the rifle and its power generators, turning the entire top of the mountain into a giant fireball.

(Day of Third Impact, Inside the 18th Angel)

Shinji stood with his arms spread and his eyes closed. He could feel the power within the Angel building. Soon there would be enough to initiate Third Impact. Shinji concentrated his thoughts on the build-up of power, using the power of Unit-01 to accelerate it.

Shinji's concentration was shattered as a sound invaded his thoughts. His eyes snapped open, 'it couldn't be'. But it was, as he looked beside him at Rei, (who stood in the same position as him) he could see tears rolling down her cheeks, though her eyes were still closed. Rei was crying.

Shinji had never seen Rei cry. 'Why was she crying'? "Rei what's wrong?"

Rei didn't answer but the flow of tears increased.

Tabris walked up beside Shinji. "She doesn't want this Shinji."

Shinji looked at his friend. "What?...Why?"

"Because she wants to be with you. She doesn't want to become one with everyone because then you as an individual will cease to exist."

"But…"

Tabris looked at Shinji for a few moments. "What do you want Shinji."

"I just want it to end."

"Why, is the world so bad?"

"All there is is pain."

"Is that all there is Shinji? What about Rei?"

"I…I thought she wanted this two."

"But she doesn't. She wants to be with you. Don't you want to be with her?"

Shinji seemed to consider his answer. "Yes, more than anything."

"Than stop this."

"But, I thought this is mankind's destiny."

"It is, but it doesn't have to be like this. There is more than one way to bring about the Third Impact."

Shinji looked at Rei. "But what about you?"

Tabris shrugged. "That is up to you."

"What do you mean?"

"You will see." With that Tabris disappeared.

Shinji looked around him. Rei didn't want this. He had to stop it.

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Misato watched the wound on the Angel caused by the advanced positron rifle heal until there was no trace of it left. She looked at the burning mountain top. "Damn, we're out of options." She looked up at the commander. "Sir, I recommend the immediate withdrawal of the Evas."

Gendo's glanced down at her. "We cannot do that major, if the Angel beats us now, we have lost."

Ritsuko turned around to face the commander. "Sir, the Angel has entered the cities central district."

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Inside the tube Shinji was starting to wake up. His brain waves had stabilized and his AT field was being concentrated.

(Day of Third Impact, Inside the 18th Angel)

Shinji knew that if he was going to stop the Third Impact he needed more power. So he reached out towards the greatest source of power he could feel. Adam.

Though it was churning out huge amounts of energy Adam's soul was mostly dormant due to the Angel's current embryonic form. As Shinji achieved contact with it it offered no resistance.

Slowly Shinji began to draw Adam into himself. The two souls intertwined until they formed one being. As this happened, Adam's soul became aware but by that time it was too late. Adam had become a part of Shinji Ikari.

As soon as the assimilation of Adam was complete, Shinji turned his attention to Rei. It had become apparent that the only way to safely store the Angels was to bind their souls to a human's.

Shinji could sense the already existing connections between Rei and Lilith. He focused on these connections and strengthened them, slowly forcing Lilith's soul to become a part of Rei. Unlike Adam, Lilith fought back but she was no match for the strength of Adam or that of Unit-01 and together the two were unstoppable. Just as Lilith was beginning to be assimilated Rei opened her eyes. She looked at Shinji for a few seconds then a spark of understanding showed in her eyes. Shinji felt Rei concentrate on the assimilation of Lilith. Lilith made one last attempt at breaking free then seceded, becoming a part of Rei.

As soon as it was finished Rei stepped forward and embraced Shinji. "I don't want Third Impact Shinji. I don't want to be separated from you."

Shinji held Rei close. "I don't want to be separated from you either Rei. That's why we're going to stop Third Impact."

As Shinji looked around he knew that together he and Rei could now stop Third Impact. But if they did what would happen to the other Angels. Would they be released?

"Allow me." Shinji and Rei released each other and turned to face Tabris who smiled slightly. "I will take care of my brethren but I require your help."

Both Shinji and Rei nodded.

Tabris smiled again and raised his arms.

Shinji and Rei both felt it. Tabris was drawing in the other Angels. At Tabris' insistence they added their powers to his and one by one the Angels were drawn in. Sachiel, Shamshiel, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Sandalphon, Matariel, Sahaqiel, Yrouel, Leliel, Bardiel, Zeruel, Arael and Armisael. Tabris assimilated each Angel than stood still as his new found power rose within him. "Now I need a body."

Rei blinked. "What do you mean Tabris?"

Tabris shrugged. "Unfortunately I'm still very much an Angel so the only safe thing to do is to bind me to a human soul and a human soul needs a human body."

Shinji shook his head. "But we can't just make you a body, we don't know how."

Tabris smiled. "Don't forget Shinji, this is the Third Impact, right now almost anything is possible."

Shinji and Rei both blinked then looked at each other. They began to concentrate.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Central District)

Rei looked around at the utter destruction that surrounded her. Unit-16 was standing on top of a pile of rubble that used to be the school but had been destroyed when the Eva had crashed on top of it. Nara's Eva was rising from the remains of what used to be a mall and Unit-14 was beginning to pull itself free from a severely damaged office building.

Rei watched as another building was crushed by the Angel as it continued its relentless advance into the city's centre. She looked at her Eva. It was badly damaged; she didn't know how much more of this it could take.

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Misato watched as the battered Evas launched another attack against the Angel and were subsequently sent hurtling into nearby buildings and roads. "This is hopeless, we're not achieving anything."

Ritsuko glared at her friend. "What alternative do we have, we can't just give up. We have to win."

(Day of Third Impact, Inside the 18th Angel)

Shinji and Rei had finished the body (with Tabris' help) and had created a soul to inhabit it. But first they had to bind Tabris' soul to the new one.

Shinji looked at his friend. "If we do this what will happen to you."

Tabris shrugged. "Like the other Angels I will cease to exist as a separate entity."

"But you're my friend."

Tabris smiled. "Do not worry Shinji. This soul is dormant; when I am assimilated into it it will form itself based heavily on me. In essence he will be me reborn."

Rei stepped up beside Shinji. "Tabris, it's time."

Tabris nodded. "Then let us begin."

The assimilation of Tabris was much easier than any of the previous ones as Tabris was quite willing to go and in fact aided in the assimilation. When it was a done Rei and Shinji connected the new soul to its new body. The soul remained dormant.

Shinji looked at Rei. "We need to name him you know. We can't just call him Kaoru or Tabris."

Rei thought for a moment. "Why don't we call him…Nara?"

Shinji smiled at her. "Yeah that's a great name."

Shinji and Rei embraced and kissed. Around them the light began to dim then vanished. The 18th Angel disappeared leaving four bodies floating in the LCL. One was a grown man, the other three were teenagers. After a few seconds the man began to move, the teenagers remained still. Slumped against the cross was the huge form of Unit-01, holding the Lancea Longini. It didn't move.

(Present, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji could sense the approach of the Angel, it was almost directly overhead. He was finally conscious. The Angel was a threat to Rei, he had to stop it. Shinji's red eyes snapped open.

The tube shattered as a vortex of energy surrounded Shinji and shot through the ceiling.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Central District)

The 20th Angel advanced towards the three Evas blocking its way. They were weak now; it could destroy them with ease. It began to concentrate its AT field.

The ground in front of the Angel was blasted open as a huge black cross-flare shot out, spreading its arms in front of the Angel.

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

Makoto whirled around to face Misato, yelling over the sound of the alarms going off throughout the control room. "That blast came from inside Terminal Dogma Major. It went straight through all the armour plates and the geo-front."

Misato watched the cross-flare on the screen. "What is that?"

(Present, Tokyo-3 Central District)

The black cross-flare glowed brighter for a second then blew apart in a flash of light.

As the light faded and Rei's eyes regained focus she saw a winged figure floating in front of the Angel. "Shinji."

(Present, Nerv, Control Room)

The main view screen zoomed in on the figure in front of the Angel.

Misato's breath caught as the figure's face came into focus. "It can't be…Shinji!?"

Gendo smirked as he watched the main view screen. "So it begins."

'That's what you said last time', Fuyutsuki didn't voice his thought out loud.

(Present, Tokyo-3 Central District)

Shinji looked into the Angel's huge red eyes. "You should not exist. You do not belong in this world."

There was a pause and Shinji appeared to be listening to something.

Shinji's face remained expressionless. "I know who and what you are. Do you know who I am?"

Another pause.

A slight smile crossed Shinji's face. "Yes, I am the 1st. I am Adam."

* * *

End Notes: That's chapter 4. Please review and constructively criticise. I hope you like it. It will be a while until chapter 5 is out. I've started it but I'm a little busy right now with other things, so don't hold your breath. 


	5. Changes and Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or any of its characters and concepts.

Author's Notes: So here's Chapter 5 of my 'The Angels Return' story. Hopefully it's up to the standard of my previous chapters. I tried to give some more depth to some of the characters and to fill in some of the gaps in the story. A note of warning, with this chapter this fic fully earns its M rating.

* * *

**5. Changes and Revelations**

(Nerv, Control Room)

Misato was frozen in shock. She stared at the scene that showed the figure floating in front of the Angel. The figure that had just referred to itself as Adam.

Gendo casually watched the screen. "Adam has finally awoken."

Ritsuko stepped up next to him. "But can we control him."

"That remains to be seen."

(Tokyo-3 Central District)

Shinji floated in front of the Angel. His face was perfectly calm. In fact he looked bored, like he was waiting for something.

The Angel was motionless for a moment, then it lifted its leg.

The boredom vanished from Shinji's face and his eyes narrowed. The air in front of him shimmered.

The Angel's leg was half raised when its entire body was hit head-on by Shinji's AT field. The Angel was knocked backwards by the blast and the surrounding buildings were levelled. The Angel's feet left long trenches in the ground as it tried to stop its backwards momentum, eventually coming to a stop when the attack ended abruptly.

Shinji raised his right arm and spread his hand, revealing the red circle on his palm. He pointed the circle at the Angel, which was just beginning to approach.

The Angel had almost reached Shinji when he fired. A black beam of energy shot out from the circle on his palm and spread out, vaporising the Angel's entire forward left leg and part of its side.

With the loss of its leg the Angel's forward momentum sent it crashing to the ground.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Ritsuko leaned over to talk to the commander. "He's winning."

Gendo nodded. "Yes, he is even stronger than we expected."

(Tokyo-3 Central District)

Shinji's wings folded to his back and he landed in front of the stricken Angel. "You cannot defeat me."

The Angel's leg and side slowly began to regenerate, starting with the bones. The bones spread down the leg and the muscles and skin began to grow around them.

Shinji watched as the Angel lifted itself on its partially reformed leg, the remaining muscle and skin regenerating even as it stood. He waited until it had lifted itself to its full height then he raised his left arm and fired. The Angel's forward right leg was incinerated by the blast along with a sizeable chunk of its side.

The Angel's still damaged leg was unable to support all the weight of its front half so the Angel collapsed once more. The bored expression returned to Shinji's face.

(Tokyo-3)

The recovery team leader watched as his men opened the blood spattered entry plug of Unit-15. The LCL flowed out and washed over the blood stained ground, soaking the recovery team leader's boots.

One of the recovery crew looked into the entry plug and then reached in with one arm. He turned to the recovery team leader. "He's breathing but he's unconscious."

(Tokyo-3 Central District)

Rei watched the Angel slowly regenerate. Her eyes moved to Shinji. He was alive but was he really Shinji. He'd called himself Adam. Tears welled up in Rei's eyes. She'd already lost him once; she couldn't bear to lose him again.

Rei felt something open, something that had been closed for far too long. Her link to Shinji. As the link opened an image of the old Shinji flashed in her mind. "I won't leave you." The voice faded as quickly as it had come. Rei smiled, he was still her Shin-chan.

Shinji smiled too but only for a second, then he went back to watching the Angel regenerate. He had folded his arms and was watching passively. "The only reason you are still alive is because you may yet prove useful to me."

The Angel shakily rose to its feet and stood in front of Shinji, towering over him. Its eyes narrowed to slits.

Shinji signed. "If we must." He concentrated his AT field.

The Angel took one step forward, then black cross-flares erupted under it and tore through its body. While its body was shredded by smaller cross-flares, four huge ones (like the one that had brought Shinji to the surface) erupted at each corner, completely destroying the Angel's legs.

When the light from the cross-flares finally faded there was a variety of bloody chunks spread along the ground where the Angel used to be.

Shinji spread his wings and took to the skies. He didn't actually use the wings to fly, instead using his AT field. The wings were only useful for manoeuvring.

Shinji eventually landed next to a particularly large chunk of the Angel. The difference with this chunk is that it was slowly reforming, spreading outwards and drawing other chunks to it.

Shinji clenched his right fist and a black glowing blade extended from his wrist. The blade was about a meter long and with it Shinji began to cut the chunk into pieces. As he did a giant red orb was revealed within the chunk. The Angel's S2 organ.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Fuyutsuki glanced at Ritsuko and Gendo. "It would appear Adam can manipulate his AT field to an unprecedented extent."

Gendo continued to watch the screen, which showed an increasingly blood-soaked Shinji continuing to carve up the chunk of Angel. "Yes, this is unexpected but it will not be a problem."

Ritsuko was also watching the screen. "I hope so." The blank look on Shinji's face scared her. How could he be so expressionless when he was being drenched in spurting blood?

(Tokyo-3 Central District)

Shinji had completely uncovered the Angel's S2 organ. He looked it over then placed his palm on it. The S2 organ glowed brighter than exploded in a fiery flash of light.

Shinji stepped back and surveyed the destruction around him. "It's over. At least for now." He remained where he was for moment then once again took to the skies and flew toward the three watching Evas.

He came to a stop in front of Unit-14, which opened its mouth and roared at him. "You're current state is no longer necessary. Release your daughter from your clutches." Shinji waited for the Eva to comply.

Unit-14 remained like it was for a moment then its mouth closed and its shoulders slumped, its eyes going dim. Inside the entry plug the unconscious form of Asuka formed out of the LCL. Her mother's soul returned to its dormancy, for now at least.

Units 16 & 17 were standing next to each other not far off. Shinji flew over to them. He stopped in front of them and looked at each in turn. "We should return to headquarters. We can talk there."

(5 Minutes Later, Nerv, Eva Bays)

The two three eyed Evas slumped as their entry plugs ejected and their pilots climbed out.

Rei hit the ground running. She ran to the winged figure that had landed in front of her Eva and jumped into its arms. "Shinji." She kissed him firmly on the lips. When the kiss broke off she began to cry tears of joy.

Shinji held Rei gentle in his arms. A simple task now that he was more than a head taller than her. "It's been a long time Rei. Too long."

Rei smiled through her tears. "It's only been a couple of days."

Shinji kissed the top of her head. "I'll never leave you again."

Nara stepped up behind them. "If you two are quite done. I think we have some explaining to do." He motioned along the catwalk in-front of the Evas to the quickly approaching figure of Misato.

Shinji put Rei down. "I do not believe that will be necessary." He motioned towards his father and the sub-commander, following Misato along the catwalk.

Misato stopped in front of Shinji. She looked into his eyes. "Shinji?"

Shinji shrugged. "More or less."

Gendo and Fuyutsuki arrived. Gendo pushed his glasses up his nose as he spoke. "You are Pilot Ikari correct."

Shinji nodded. "Yes."

"Hmm." Gendo turned back towards the door. "Pilot Ikari, follow me. Major you will accompany the 1st and 6th children to the changing rooms."

Misato opened her mouth to argue than closed it again and nodded in acceptance. She and the two Ayanamis headed for the change room.

(10 Minutes Later, Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo had finished his preliminary discussion with Shinji and they had now been joined by Rei, Nara, Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki.

Ritsuko looked Shinji up and down. "Just exactly what are you?"

Shinji thought for a moment. "I…am an Angel."

"Are you at all human?"

Shinji shrugged. "Genetically…yes. But I am essentially an Angel"

Ritsuko looked thoughtful and jotted something down on her notepad.

Shinji looked over at his father. "You may be interested in something I learnt from the 20th Angel."

The commander made eye contact with his son. "What have you learnt?"

"That Angel and the previous two were man made. They were created by Seele using DNA samples gathered from the real Angels and then used to attack us."

Gendo's eyebrows rose slightly. "Seele has gone farther than I expected. If they can create Angels than they are a greater threat than we expected."

Shinji nodded slightly. "There's more. The three Angels we have seen so far were prototypes. The 18th Angel is the only one that had a ranged attack. However its weakness in hand-to-hand combat and its slow regeneration speed proved to be its downfall. The 19th Angel was created to be the ultimate close-range attack Angel. Its variety of limbs made it deadly at close range and the multiple cores allowed it to survive powerful attacks at close range aimed at its cores. These things combined with its ability to rapidly regenerate and its size made the Angel almost invincible but its form of reckless attack and the instability of its AT field made it vulnerable to large scale attacks. The 20th Angel was designed to be able to survive any form of attack. Its incredible size, rapid regeneration speed and extremely powerful AT field all contributed to this end. Now that the three prototypes have been defeated Seele is going to make multiple clones of them and send them at us all at once."

Gendo nodded slightly and looked at Ritsuko. "What is the status of the Evas?"

Ritsuko flipped the page on her notepad. "Units 14, 16 & 17 have sustained severe structural damage and their S2 organs have been completely drained of their energy reserves. They'll recover but they won't be fully operational for awhile. Unit-18's S2 organ has been destroyed and although its body is relatively undamaged, without the S2 organ it can't regenerate. We'll have to build a completely new S2 organ and there's no knowing how long that will take. Unit-15 is the worst, its S2 organ has been destroyed and its body has been heavily damaged. Its head has been crushed and it's had its left arm severed. It's also suffered heavy damage to its chest. The damage will have to be repaired before we can attempt to install a new S2 organ. The repairs on Unit-19 are still ongoing, we've replaced most of the missing body parts and repaired the S2 organ but it will still be awhile before the Unit is operational. That's not including the time it will take to repair the internal dummy plug system."

Gendo crossed his hands before his face. "I want you to divert all resources to the repairs on Units 14, 16 and 17. The repairs to the other Evas can wait. The repairs to the city are unimportant." He paused for a moment in thought. "Order the evacuation of all civilians. What is the status of the other pilots?"

"Kensuke's fine. Asuka and Touji are both unconscious but are relatively unhurt and will probable recover soon."

Shinji looked over at Ritsuko. His red eyes intent. "Where is Unit-19 now?"

Ritsuko's expression turned quizzical. "In Terminal Dogma. Why?"

"I believe it is time to revive Unit-01."

Gendo's glasses glinted as he looked up. "You can restore Unit-01?"

Shinji nodded. "When Unit-01's body was destroyed. Its essence sought sanctuary within my S2 organ. Unit-19 is a clone of Unit-01 so I can transfer Unit-01's essence into Unit-19, since Unit-19 has no essence of its own."

"And what will happen then?"

"Unit-19 will become more powerful and change into Unit-01. I am unable to access its power anyway, so it will have no affect on me."

Gendo stood up. "Very well."

(10 Minutes Later, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Rei, Nara, Gendo, Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki stood on the gantry in front of Unit-19. Shinji floated in front of its face. The Eva's body was encased in bakelite, which was holding its broken body and limbs together. Its head and the top of its torso were above the bakelite.

Shinji reached out and touched Unit-19's horn. "It is time Unit-01."

For a moment nothing happened then Unit-19's horn began to glow and change colour, from silver and brown to purple and green. The change in colour spread across the Eva's head then down and over its body, until the entire Eva was purple and green. Below the bakelite's surface the Eva's body was regenerating, all its wounds healing and its body parts fusing together.

There was a moment of silence then the Eva's eyes blazed to life. It tore its arms free and began to tear chunks out of the surrounding bakelite, flinging them against the walls.

Several chunks angled towards the figures on the gantry but deflected harmlessly off Rei and Nara's AT fields.

Shinji didn't even blink as a large chunk exploded against his AT field. He fired a thin beam from his palm that missed the Eva's head my inches. The Eva turned to face him.

Shinji inclined his head slightly. "Welcome back Unit-01." He looked at the damage the huge behemoth had done to the room. "Together Unit-01, you and I are invincible but we do not have time for this now. Return to your dormancy, when the time comes I will come for you."

Unit-01 half reached for Shinji then let its arm drop. Its eyes went dim and it slumped.

Shinji floated down to the gantry and landed between Rei and Nara. "Unit-01 is ready."

Ritsuko was staring at the Eva. "What happened?"

Shinji shrugged. "I restored Unit-01 but in doing so I allowed it to become self-aware. Its initial instinct was to simply destroy everything." He made eye contact with Ritsuko. "I convinced it otherwise."

Fuyutsuki's brow furrowed. "I thought Unit-01 had no soul."

Shinji nodded. "It shouldn't but for some reason Unit-01 is different. I felt it the day I reactivated it. Unit-01 has a soul, one all of its own."

(Tokyo-3 Hospital, Private Ward)

Kensuke, Hikari and Misato were hovering over the two hospital beds occupied by Asuka and Touji. The two teens were still unconscious.

Hikari was panic stricken. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

Kensuke signed. "I've already told you Hikari, they're just unconscious. They'll be fine."

Misato didn't say anything. She was thinking of Shinji or whoever he was. What had happened, was he really back or had he been replaced by some Angel. She had to find out.

(Same Time, Seele Conference Room)

The stone obelisks were having another conference.

The obelisk marked 02 glowed brighter. "The reappearance of Ikari's son is an unexpected obstacle."

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "Yes, he could ruin all our plans."

The obelisk marked 05 glowed brighter. "He is only one. Nerv's Evas are crippled and even if they manage to repair them they are no match for our Angels. If we send an army of Angels we can overwhelm them and initiate Third Impact."

Several obelisks began to respond but all fell silent as the obelisk marked 01 glowed brighter. "An army of Angels may well be able to destroy Ikari's son but we should take extra precautions. We have come too far to fail now." There was a short pause. "Has the project been successful?"

The obelisk marked 08 glowed brighter. "Yes. Xera is complete and ready for combat."

"Good. We can use her to destroy Ikari's son." Another pause. "Begin the cloning of the Angels. Every moment that passes is time for Nerv to recuperate."

(1 Hour Later, Nerv, Commander's Office)

Nara, Rei and Shinji stood before the commander's desk. Shinji had retracted his wings into his back where they wouldn't get in the way.

Gendo looked up at them from behind his desk. "We have been unable to locate Seele's base, so it appears we'll have to wait for them to come to us. In the mean time I have jobs for you."

Shinji met his father's eyes. "What would you have us do?" He sounded only vaguely interested in his father's wishes.

"I need Rei and Nara to transfer the souls of Units 15 & 18 into their own Evas so they can be piloted by the 4th and 7th children. I also want them to assume their true forms."

Rei and Nara glanced at each other than back to the commander. "As you wish commander." They spoke in unison.

(20 Minutes Later, Nerv, Eva Bays)

Rei and Nara stood before their Evas. The commander and Shinji stood behind them.

Ritsuko looked down at them from an overhead catwalk. "We're beginning the soul transfer. I need you two to open the links to your Evas and make them accept the souls."

"Yes ma'am." The two teens stepped forward and raised their arms.

Rei and Nara strengthened their links to their Evas. Both could feel the slow assimilation of the new souls. They forced their Evas to accept the souls, to accept the pilots that the new souls were used to. It wasn't difficult, the Evas were bonded to them, they couldn't resist.

Soon it was done and the teens closed the links between them and the Evas but they didn't severe them, they would be useful later.

(Tokyo-3 Hospital, Private Ward)

Touji and Asuka had regained consciousness and Kensuke and Hikari had returned to the hospital to check on them. Misato had slept in one of the chairs.

Touji was sitting-up on his bed. "Thanks for coming guys. How long was I out?"

Misato smiled. "You've both been out for about 10 hours. And before you ask, yes the Evas and the Angel were defeated."

Asuka (who was also sitting-up on her bed) groaned. "What happened to me Misato? The last thing I remember is trying to connect to…my Eva."

Misato bit her lip. "You were…absorbed into your Eva."

Asuka blinked. "Ab…sorbed." She shuddered.

Hikari was crying. "I'm so glad you're both okay. I don't know if I could handle losing another friend." She stopped as she realised what she had just said.

The sudden silence was broken as Misato's cell-phone began to ring. She glanced at the caller ID and answered the call. "Yes Sir."

"…"

"What!"

"…"

"But…"

"…"

Asuka turned to Hikari. "Wonder what that's about?" She motioned at Misato.

Hikari shrugged. "Don't know." She looked around. "Heh, does anyone know where Rei and Nara are?"

Misato hung-up. She bowed her head and took a deep breath.

Asuka turned her attention to Misato. "What's wrong Misato?"

Misato wouldn't meet Asuka's eyes. "That was the commander. Rei and Nara are dead." She knew it wasn't true but she had been ordered to tell the teens that the two pilots were dead. Another thing she needed answers for.

Hikari's lower lip quivered. "De…dead. No! They can't be!"

Misato still refused to meet anyone's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Kensuke swallowed the tears that had crept into his mouth. "What happened?"

Misato continued to look at her feet. "They didn't survive the battle." She paused. "Their Evas are intact though. Since Units 14, 16 and 17 are the only operational Evas; the commander has ordered that you and Touji pilot Rei and Nara's Evas."

Touji almost jumped out of his bed. "What!! I can't pilot one of their Evas. It's not right."

Misato's temper flared. "That's too bad Touji! It's a direct order!"

(1 Hour Later, Eva Bays)

The entry plugs slid into Units 16 & 17.

Inside Unit-16 Touji felt sick. "This is Rei's Eva. I shouldn't be here."

Inside Unit-17 Kensuke was having a similar experience. "This feels wrong. It feels familiar but at the same time so foreign."

Inside the observation deck Ritsuko completely ignored them and spoke into the intercom. "Begin synchronisation."

Maya began typing on her keyboard. "Beginning synchronisation…Approaching border line…Touji has passed the borderline." For a second everyone held their breath, then. "Kensuke has passed the border line…Unit-16 synchronisation complete…Unit-17 synchronisation complete."

Ritsuko signed in relief. "What are their sync ratios?"

Maya brought up the relevant data on her screen. "Touji's sync ratio is 79. Kensuke's is 57."

Ritsuko nodded. "That will have to do for now. End the test." She headed for the elevator. It was time for Rei and Nara to assume their true forms.

(Terminal Dogma)

Rei screamed as her body began to reform. It felt as if every fibre of her body was being torn apart and then rebuilt. She fell to her hands and knees as her limbs and body began to elongate.

Her scream echoed inside Shinji's skull. He wished it would stop. Both because he hated seeing Rei in pain and because the scream and the pain that rushed into him along his link to Rei awoke a memory of a pain he himself felt not long ago. Of having his body ripped apart and vaporised into atoms and of being conscious the whole time, linked to every atom for the nanosecond it took for the pain to reach his consciousness. The seemingly endless pain that had almost destroyed him.

Beside Rei Nara had managed to stay on his feet, though his mouth was open in a scream. The same animalistic scream he had made when he first awoke. As his body transformed his hair changed colour, from greyish black to Kaoru's dull grey. His eyes became a darker shade of red.

Rei's hair lightened to an almost sky blue but her eyes became the same dark red as Shinji's and Nara's. A ripple spread across each of her palms as red circles appeared there, the same thing happened to Nara.

Rei arched her back as the skin on her back began to shift. Next to her Nara leant forward. Both screamed one last time as feathered wings exploded from their backs. Wings the same colour as their hair.

When the screams died off Rei remained on her hands and knees, breathing heavily. Nara fell to his knees and bowed his head as he caught his breath.

Shinji stepped forward and helped Rei to her feet. He turned to help Nara but he had already risen; his back to Rei and Shinji.

Rei put her arm around Shinji's neck and shuddered slightly as her wings retracted into her back. "Are you okay Nara?"

The boy slowly turned as his wings retracted. He looked directly at Shinji and Rei. "I, remember now. I am…Tabris?"

Shinji glanced at Rei then back at Nara. "Yes, you are Tabris. The 17th Angel."

Nara bowed his head and signed softly. "So who am I really?" He spoke too softly for anyone to hear him, barely above a whisper.

Ritsuko (who had been watching from just inside the door) stepped forward. "It's finished then?"

Rei nodded. "Yes, it is finished."

"Then put these on and follow me to the testing room." She held out two black body-suits to Rei and Nara, who promptly pulled them on.

Ritsuko led them to the training room and once again instructed them to expand their AT fields.

Each time one of the teens expanded their AT fields the entire room (and likely most of Nerv) shook.

Ritsuko and Maya (who had come down to assist Ritsuko) looked over the results.

Ritsuko turned to the three teens. "You've all gotten more powerful to a greater or lesser extent. Rei and Shinji have both more than doubled their power but Nara," she turned to the boy, "You've more than tripled it. You're now stronger than Rei."

Nara nodded slowly. "It makes sense. My transformation both fully unlocked Tabris' powers and those of the Angels Tabris absorbed. All my souls are now one."

Though she was a little annoyed that Nara had surpassed her Rei hid it perfectly. "We should test our new power."

Ritsuko nodded. "Yes of course, I've already made the necessary changes to the simulation room."

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Misato watched as Asuka, Touji and Kensuke stepped into the entry plugs marked 14, 16 & 17 respectively.

She keyed in their weapon selections and activated the simulation.

She activated the intercom system. "Okay guys, beginning simulation."

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Unit-16 held its Longinus spear firmly as it ran down the empty street. Touji was getting more and more used to piloting the white Eva. Strangely, synching with it felt like synching with Unit-15, even though the first time he'd ever tried to sync with this Eva it hadn't even responded. The battle with Seele's Evas had proven the effectiveness of close range weapons, so Touji (as well as Kensuke) had decided to try using a Longinus spear.

Reaching the end of the street Touji turned left and saw his intended target. Sachiel.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Kensuke was already engaged with Shamshiel. Unit-17 jumped sideways to avoid one of Shamshiel's tentacles and brought its Longinus spear down in an overhead arc, severing the tentacle.

Without pausing Kensuke lunged towards Shamshiel with the Longinus spear outstretched. Lightning-fast Shamshiel's remaining tentacle whipped up and plunged through Unit-17's shoulder.

Though the tentacle strike stopped Unit-17's forward momentum it didn't stop Kensuke from throwing the Longinus spear at the Angel's S2 organ.

As the spear struck and penetrated its S2 organ, Shamshiel went limp and Kensuke pulled the tentacle from Unit-17's shoulder.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Stepping over the fallen form of Matariel, Unit-14 advanced on Israfel.

'It wasn't fair! Why did they have to die!?' Asuka blamed herself for the deaths of her friends. Shinji had saved her from the 19th Angel and then instead of staying to help when he was attacked she ran off with the others. She was right their, she should have known what he was planning. And then with Rei and Nara, she was ordered to back them up against the 20th Angel. She wasn't sure exactly what happened in that battle but Rei and Nara had wound up dead. She'd failed all three of them.

Tearing through Israfel's AT field and implanting one of her progressive axes in its head she proceeded to tear out its S2 organ with her now free hand. Crushing the S2 organ she retrieved her axe and moved on.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Pulling his Longinus spear from Sachiel's S2 organ Touji turned towards the floating form of Ramiel. "This time, I will destroy you." Unit-16 deployed its wings and took to the sky.

As soon as it had cleared the buildings Unit-16 was fired on by Ramiel but Touji skilfully dodged the attack. Veering to the right he landed on a tall skyscraper and retracted his Eva's wings but instantly jumped off it again as Ramiel fired, blowing off the top of the building. Jumping from building to building he closed in on the Angel.

Jumping from the final building just as it was hit by Ramiel's beam Touji once again spread his Eva's wings but this time Ramiel did not have time to fire. With his spear held out in-front of him, Touji broke through Ramiel's AT field and went straight through it and its S2 organ.

As the giant Angel began to fall Unit-16 spiralled towards the ground.

(Terminal Dogma, Eva Simulation Room)

Ritsuko watched the three teens step into their respective entry plugs and seal them. She keyed in the sequence to initiate the simulation.

This simulation would be different than the previous ones. The program would now create a virtual copy of the three pilots rather than the Evas. She just hoped the program could cope with the power of the combatants.

(Virtual Battlefield)

Shinji, Rei and Nara appeared on the edge of the same desolate wasteland that these simulation plugs had always created but they could already see that things were different. On the other side of the battlefield was a new selection of opponents.

Fifteen figures who appeared to be of similar shape and size to the three teens but with pitch black bodies and no faces stood facing the three teens. They began to march forwards and several of them unfolded pitch black wings and took to the sky.

Ritsuko's voice echoed across the battlefield. "This is your new training program. All fifteen of these Drones have similar power to you. You must destroy them all."

None of the teens bothered trying to respond they just raised their hands and fired black energy beams from their palms. The six beams zeroed in on the Drones but before they reached their targets the Drones raised their arms and fired back. Thirty beams of red energy collided with and tore through the approaching beams and continued through to race towards Shinji, Rei and Nara. The three teens spread their wings and took to the air just in time to dodge the attacks. Below them an entire section of the already destroyed city was vaporised.

Ritsuko's voice echoed across the battlefield once more. "Oh I forgot to mention, they can copy your moves."

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Unit-17's head bent back as it looked to the sky. Above him, Kensuke could see the glowing ring that was Armisael. He wasn't sure how he should engage the Angel. Any attempt at an attack might cause Armisael to strike.

Deciding he couldn't stay put forever Kensuke deployed his Eva's wings. In response Armisael unfolded and one of its ends shot towards the Eva. Kensuke caught the glowing end just in front of his Eva's chest.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Asuka was still in turmoil. She could never make this right but she had to at least try. No one had really told her what was happening but Misato had mentioned something about a coming battle to Ritsuko within Asuka's hearing. Whatever the battle was Asuka would win it. Unit-14's hands tightened on the hilts of its progressive axes. She'd win for her dead friends.

Zeruel stood in front of her, its arms unfolded and ready to strike. With a shriek of rage Asuka ran towards the massive angel.

(Virtual Battlefield)

Shinji dived sideways to avoid a blast from one of the Drones and clenched his right fist. A glowing blade extended from his wrist and he rammed it into the Drone's chest, cutting the miniature S2 organ in two.

Another Drone dived towards Shinji, a glowing blade extending from its wrist.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Rei dived under the energy beams fired by one of the Drones and deflected another set with her AT field.

She fired back and blasted both Drones to the ground but they soon began to rise. Wrapping up on of the Drones with her AT field she crushed inwards and pulverised it.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Nara stopped with his hand mere inches from one of the Drone's faces and fired an energy beam. The blast obliterated the Drone's face and knocked its body to the ground. As it tried to rise, Nara rammed his blade through its chest.

Before he could retract his arm however another Drone brought its own blade down on it and severed it just above the elbow.

Suppressing a scream, Nara blasted the offending Drone back with his AT field. He gritted his teeth in pain as bone, muscle and skin flowed from the open wound and condensed into the form of his right arm. The blood splattered arm was an exact replica of the severed one lying on the ground below.

Nara swung a punch at the Drone with the new appendage. Feeling a strange tugging sensation as the limb extended beyond its usual length and slammed into the Drone's chest. He grabbed onto the bottom of the Drone's rib cage and yanked savagely, tearing out a round red object. The Drone's body instantly went limp and fell to the ground.

Retracting his arm back to its usual length, Nara examined the object he now held. An S2 organ, the core at the heart of all Angels. He placed his left hand on his chest at the bottom of his rib cage. "Just like my S2 organ, the mark of an Angel. The source of my AT field." He signed as a distant memory returned to him. "The light of my soul."

Nara stared at the S2 organ for a moment longer than clenched his fist and ground it into dust. "I'm not human. I never was." He opened his hand and let the remnants of the S2 organ fall to the ground.

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Touji swooped down to where he could see Kensuke's Unit-17 engaged with Armisael. The black Eva was struggling to hold Armisael's glowing end at bay.

Landing on the closest building, Touji expanded Unit-16's AT field. In response, Armisael's other end launched towards him. Touji took to the skies again just in time to dodge the offending end.

Below, Armisael's other end was slipping through Unit-17's hands. With a final push it touched Unit-17's chest and began to seize control of the Eva. Screaming, Kensuke reached up and pulled his progressive knife from his Eva's shoulder baffle then jabbed it into Armisael. Blood from the wound spurted over Kensuke's Eva. "Touji, help me!"

Touji dodged another strike from Armisael then dived towards Unit-17. With an underhand swing of his Longinus spear he severed the end of Armisael that had attached itself to Kensuke's Eva. The end rebounded, soaking the nearby buildings in a river of blood.

Picking up his Longinus spear, Kensuke hurled it at the Angel. It went into the Angel's bloody end and came out roughly halfway down its body length.

The Angel's body collapsed to the ground, it twitched for a few moments before going limp.

Above the two Evas, a dark cloud began to descend.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Unit-14 caught one of Zeruel's arms in mid-flight and gave it a savage yank, pulling the Angel forwards.

As Zeruel reached her, Asuka viciously kneed the Angel's chest and followed up by punching it to the ground. She picked up one of her progressive axes and split Zeruel's face in two. The resulting spurt of blood hit Unit-14 in the face.

Zeruel attempted to retaliate with an eye-blast but due to the mutilation of its face the attack went wide. Any further attempts proved impossible as Unit-14 tore both halves of Zeruel's face off and threw them aside.

Asuka grabbed Zeruel's right arm and ripped it off before throwing it aside. Zeruel began to strike at Unit-14's chest with its remaining arm. Ignoring the repeated impacts Asuka began to pound at Zeruel's S2 organ with both fists. Zeruel's armour plate snapped into place but soon began to crack under Asuka's blows.

(Virtual Battlefield)

Rei and Shinji melded their AT fields together and blasted five of the remaining Drones to the ground, following up the attack with two massive cross-flares that incinerated two of the stricken drones. The other three took to the sky and joined another of their comrades before launching themselves towards Shinji and Rei.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Nara concentrated his AT field around himself to stop himself from being crushed by the AT field of a nearby Drone. When the Drones AT field tried to crush inwards he forced it back with his own, breaking it apart.

Before the Drone could reform its field he rammed his fist into its chest and tore out its S2 organ. He held it for a moment (briefly considering it as he had the previous one) then clenched his fist and pulverised it.

He turned around to where Shinji and Rei were battling the four remaining drones. He spread his wings and clenched both fists, (generating two blades) and took off towards the conflict.

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Kensuke swore as he lost control of his Eva. He hadn't seen Bardiel until it was too late and by the time he'd noticed the descending cloud his damaged Eva had been unable to move fast enough. His possessed Eva was now running towards Touji's.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Touji jumped backwards to avoid the elongated arm of Unit-17 as it tried to strike his Eva. Spreading Unit-16's wings he took to the sky. Unit-17 roared, spread its own wings and took to the sky in pursuit.

Touji swung his Longinus spear in a wide arc at Unit-17's head. The possessed Eva didn't even try to block the attack and was neatly decapitated. It didn't stop however and both its arms shot out, one ramming its Longinus spear through Unit-16's chest, the other grabbing the Eva's neck and squeezing as hard as it could.

Touji screamed as the Longinus spear penetrated deep into his Eva's chest and dropped his own Longinus spear. As Unit-17's second hand tried to crush his Eva's neck he reached out and grabbed its body, pulling the headless Eva in close and making it almost impossible for it to take a second stab with the Longinus spear.

Inside Unit-16's cockpit Touji got up and reached behind his seat. "Let's end this." He pulled the handle that made both his Eva's core and S2 organ go critical.

For a heartbeat the two Eva's floated above the city then disappeared in a glowing ball of raw nuclear fury.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Asuka payed no attention to the explosion behind her as she calmly removed her progressive axes from Zeruel's now motionless corpse. She had taken great pleasure in torturing Zeruel's body even after the Angel was dead and had worked off most of her anger.

She activated her intercom. "How many left."

Misato's rather shaky voice responded. "Umm…just Sahaqiel."

"Touji and Kensuke?"

"They were both just blown up."

Asuka shrugged. "Guess I'll just have to do it myself then." Unit-14 began to swing its axes in circles. "Hurry up you son of a bitch." Far above, the speck that was Sahaqiel appeared.

Asuka swung the progressive axes faster and faster until they were almost a blur, watching Sahaqiel grow steadily closer. Sahaqiel gradually grew larger and larger until it was almost upon Tokyo-3.

Asuka let out a shriek of rage and hurled both progressive axes at the giant Angel. The two axes tore through the Angel's AT field and split its S2 organ into four parts. Causing the Angel to explode in a giant ball of destruction that stopped just clear of the cities skyscrapers.

(Virtual Battlefield)

Nara rapidly approached the remaining four Drones from behind. Preoccupied with fighting Rei and Shinji they didn't notice him until it was too late. He brought both his blades up and swung them at the two closest Drones. Extending his arms to increase his reach.

The left blade cut straight through a Drone's S2 organ while the right one tore through another Drone's AT field and decapitated it.

The headless Drone fell towards the ground and Nara gave chase.

Above them Shinji and Rei took advantage of the disruption to attack the two Drones who remained in front of them. They focused and lashed out with their AT fields, neutralising the AT fields of the Drones.

Both Drones generated a blade from their right wrists and dived at Rei and Shinji but the two teens generated their own blades and blocked the attack.

Pressing his hand into the chest of the Drone in-front of him, Shinji fired a black beam on energy at point blank range, completely destroying the Drones S2 organ. Beside him Rei kicked the opposing Drone back and then generated a second blade using it to split the Drone's entire body in-half with one stroke, splitting its S2 organ in the process.

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Battlefield)

Nara followed the crazy descent of the headless Drone as it plummeted towards the ground. At first he thought the Drone had completely lost control but then he felt it concentrate its AT field.

Just before they reached the ground both the Drone and Nara were engulfed by a bright red cross flare, completely obscuring the two from sight.

When the cross-flare finally cleared it revealed Nara crouched on the ground, head bowed, wings spread wide. His body was cut and burnt in several places but the wounds were rapidly healing. Below him were the tattered remains of the Drone's body, its body had been almost completely shattered by Nara's fist which was embedded in the Drone's chest where its S2 organ use to be.

The virtual world began to disappear around him.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Asuka stepped out of her entry plug and into the simulation room. She glanced around at the other occupants of the room. Touji, Kensuke and Misato were all looking at her strangely. "What?!"

Touji swallowed audible. "You got pretty strange in there Asuka."

Asuka glared at him, making him cringe. "If you'd caused the death of three of your best friends, then you'd act strange as well."

Misato stepped forward and moved to embrace Asuka. "Asuka it isn't…"

Asuka held up her hands to ward Misato off. "Shut it Misato, I don't care what you think. I've heard it all before."

Misato looked away from Asuka and back to the screen on the opposite wall, signing audibly. "Get back in the plugs, all of you. We're redoing the simulation."

Touji and Kensuke entered the plugs silently. Asuka chuckled slightly as she entered her entry plug, a maniacal chuckle.

(Terminal Dogma, Eva Simulation Room)

Rei, Shinji and Nara stepped out of their respective entry plugs and onto the cold floor of the terminal dogma simulation room.

Nara looked directly into Ritsuko's eyes. "You need to increase the number of Drones or increase their power. That was far too easy."

Ritsuko nodded slightly in agreement. "I'll reprogram it." She looked at each teen in turn, something akin to fear in her eyes. "You three are stronger than I thought."

(Seele Conference Room)

The stone obelisks were having another conference. The difference this time was that a tall humanoid figure stood in the middle of the ring formed by the obelisks.

The figure appeared to be a female human. It had pale skin and long silvery hair, at odds with its dark red eyes. From its back sprouted large silvery feathered wings that spread to each side of its body. Its head was bowed and its eyes downcast.

The obelisk marked 05 glowed brighter. "The cloning of the Angels is progressing on schedule. So far all problems have been successfully dealt with."

The obelisk marked 11 glowed brighter. "Provided there are no unexpected complications all Angels should be completed on schedule."

The obelisk marked 01 glowed brighter. "Xera, do you understand the task you have been given."

For the first time the figure, Xera, looked up. "I understand master. I am to destroy Shinji Ikari while the Angel army destroys Nerv."

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "Do not fail us Xera."

Xera continued to look at the obelisk marked 01. "I will not fail."

The obelisk marked 01 glowed brighter. "Then prepare yourself Xera, Ikari's son will not be an easy opponent to face."

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo sat behind his desk and considered, considered the events that had led to this day. Ever since he started Nerv he had had one aim. The Evas, fighting the Angels, the creation of Rei, all had been a means to an end, to the end, to the Third Impact.

It had taken many years but he'd eventually reached his aim. Third Impact had begun. And then…then his son Shinji and Rei (his own creation) had adverted it. They had betrayed him and stoped Third Impact from being completed. He had been so close to achieving his goal, he'd actually seen Yui, touched her. Even after Shinji had…(he clenched his fists) dismissed him, he'd still been with Yui.

Then it had all disappeared and he'd found himself floating in the LCL Chamber alongside the bodies of Rei, Shinji and a boy he would later learn was Nara. Gendo didn't know what had happened but he was nevertheless certain that Rei and Shinji were responsible.

Three days before Third Impact he'd been informed that the two teens had slept together in Rei's apartment and had confronted them the next day. He didn't know how but somehow his son had fallen in love with his creation and his creation had fallen in love with his son. At the time he had hoped this wouldn't affect his plans but had separated the teens just to be safe.

But it hadn't been enough. Third Impact had ended and he had been left with nothing. Nothing but the people who had betrayed him and the shattered remnants of Nerv. Still Gendo hadn't given into despair, he'd held onto the hope that maybe Third Impact could be initiated again. Maybe he could still be reunited with Yui.

He had spent the following months rebuilding Nerv. It hadn't been an easy task. First he had to convince the UN that Nerv was not their enemy and that Seele had lied to them. The fact that the world hadn't come to an end as Seele had predicted was his major argument in this matter. Playing on their fears of the 18th Angel, the last Angel predicted in the Dead Sea Scrolls he had convinced them to continue founding Eva production. Unlike Gendo they didn't know that humans were the 18th Angel.

Gendo knew that the Angels had been an integral part of Third Impact but maybe he could use the Evas instead. He'd immediately ordered that Units 02 and 03 be reconstructed as Units 14 and 15 and had there remains shipped back to Germany and America, at the same time he'd prepared for Units 16 and 17 to be constructed at Nerv and commissioned Russia to begin construction on Unit-18. He'd had the non-responsive Unit-01 put into storage.

Ritsuko and Nerv's other scientists had learnt as much as they could from the destroyed mass-production Evas and had eventually figured out how to successfully integrate an S2 organ into an Eva's construction. This had allowed Units 14 through 18 (and later Unit 19) to be built with S2 organs, increasing their overall performance and doing away with the unreliability of power cables and internal batteries. They had also managed to salvage several Longinus spears.

Then had come the day when Rei, Shinji and Nara had finally become conscious. According to Shinji they had been recovering from the ordeal of the Third Impact and adjusting to the absorption of the Angels. That the three of them contained the souls of the Angels had surprised Gendo, though Ritsuko had earlier informed him that genetically at least they were in part Angel.

At the time Gendo had had no real direction, just an ultimate goal. Shinji had offered him a direction a path to his ultimate goal and Gendo had taken it. Since that day he had been preparing, tirelessly working towards his goal.

Originally he had only continued training the Eva pilots to keep up appearances but at the same time he had been worried about Seele, who had disappeared since the Third Impact. Since then there had been numerous complications. Assassins, new Angels and enemy Evas had all tried to put a stop to his plans but all had failed. Seele had failed. And they would continue to fail. No-one was going to stop him this time.

(Author's Notes: Warning, the following scene may not be suitable for some people. If you want you can just skip it.)

(Several Hours Later, Terminal Dogma)

Rei and Shinji stood facing each other in a dark cavernous room somewhere in the depths of Terminal Dogma. Ritsuko had brought them and Nara here as soon as they'd finished training. Nara had left soon after (seemingly deep in thought), leaving Rei and Shinji alone in the room.

Oddly Rei looked angry. "Why?"

For his part Shinji looked completely calm. "Because it was necessary."

"But why was it necessary?" A few tears rolled down Rei's cheeks and she looked down at her feet. "Why did you have to leave me?"

Shinji stepped forward and placed his right hand under Rei's jaw, tilting her head back up so she was looking him in the eyes. "I'm sorry I left you Rei-chan but at the time I could think of no other course of action. The 19th had us beaten, if I hadn't destroyed it, it may have killed us all." He smiled a sad smile. "It may have killed you."

Rei continued to cry, looking into Shinji's eyes. "When I thought you were dead, I felt so empty. I…I didn't want to go on living without you. I…"

Shinji cut Rei off as he kissed her firmly on the lips. Rei seemed shocked for a moment but then willingly returned the kiss. When they finally parted she was smiling slightly and the flow of tears had stoped.

Shinji reached up and brushed some of the remaining tears away with the back of his hand. "Forget about it Rei-chan, it's all in the past. I'm back now and I promise I'll never leave you again."

Rei wrapped her arms around Shinji's neck and pulled him into another kiss. "I'll make sure of it." Her tongue licked at Shinji's lips and she was rewarded when he opened his mouth, allowing her tongue entry.

Shinji's hands made their way up Rei's back to the zipper at the base of her neck and with one swift movement he unzipped her body-suit all the way down to her waist. Slipping his hands inside the suit he slowly worked them up Rei's back to her shoulders. All the while holding the kiss and engaging Rei in a rather intense tongue war. At one point he was sure Rei actually managed to lick the back of his throat.

Slowly and carefully Shinji pulled Rei's body-suit from her shoulders, pausing as Rei momentarily unwrapped her arms from around his neck in order to pull them from the suit. As Shinji began to pull the suit down her torso she returned her arms to their previous position.

As Shinji slowly slid the suit down Rei's slender form he noticed that he wasn't running out of breath despite his current inability to breath. The only conclusion he could draw was that in his new form he didn't actually need to breath.

As Shinji pulled the suit down to Rei's waist he finally broke the kiss and looked down at Rei's naked torso, noticing appreciably that Rei's body had grown in more ways than one.

Knowing his mind Rei smiled and brought her head to rest on his shoulder, turning to whisper in his ear. "Assuming my true form did have its advantages, apart from the power boost."

Shinji smiled and extended the reach of his arms, enabling him to pull Rei's suit over her waist and down her legs. Rei stepped out of the suit and swept it away with her foot. Now completely naked she pressed her body up against Shinji's and kissed him once again, her hands searching for the zipper on his suit.

Shinji wrapped his arms around Rei's waist and smiled into the kiss as Rei finally managed to unzip his suit down to his waist. Focusing his AT field he caused both himself and Rei to levitate off the ground and several meters into the air.

As he released Rei's waist to pull his arms from the suit she suddenly became aware of their airborne status, breaking the kiss momentarily to glance at the ground below. She wasn't at all worried about being supported several meters off the ground by Shinji's AT field alone. She trusted him completely. Turning her attention back to Shinji's suit she pulled it down to his waist, admiring the final toned muscles of his new body.

Rei's line of thought was broken as Shinji's arms snaked around her waist once again and he pulled her body up against his. She revelled in the feeling of her flesh against his, moaning slightly as he kissed her once again.

The kiss became more passionate as Rei rubbed her body up against Shinji's, her hands running up and down his back. For his part Shinji moved his hands down so they were resting on Rei's posterior and squeezed slightly, eliciting another moan from Rei.

Not to be outdone Rei wrapped her legs around Shinji's waist and pressed herself firmly up against the bulge she could feel there, still covered by the lower half of his body-suit. She was rewarded when Shinji suddenly broke the kiss and groaned loudly. "That's not fair and you know it."

Rei smiled and rested her head on his shoulder again, nibbling slightly on his ear. "I never said I was going to be fair Shin-chan."

Shinji's smile widened. "Fine then, we'll play it your way." He removed his hands from Rei's posterior and brought them up between their two bodies. Bringing them to rest on Rei's breasts he squeezed.

Rei gasped loudly and began to moan as Shinji continued his administrations, beginning to knead her breasts with his hands. Without anything better to do she once again caught Shinji's lips in a passionate kiss, giving his mouth a thorough clean with her tongue. She brought her hands to the sides of his head to hold him in place.

Shinji was a little surprised when Rei managed to hook her feet into his body-suit and pull it down to his ankles, allowing him to kick it off his feet and send it falling to the ground. Now completely naked he was even more aware of Rei's attention to his lower half. Breaking the now extremely passionate kiss he trailed a line of kisses down Rei's neck and across her collar bone, working his way down to her right breast.

Rei's groaning increased dramatically as Shinji's lips caressed first her right, then her left breast. As his lips alternated between the two so did his hands, caressing whichever one the lips left unattended.

Shinji's wings extended out of his back and wrapped themselves around Rei, enclosing her in a warm and loving embrace. He stopped his administrations and let Rei regain her composure.

Sweating slightly from the shared body heat, Rei rested her head on Shinji's chest enjoying the softness of Shinji's wings on her back. Her own wings slipped out from under Shinji's and wrapped themselves around him.

Shinji groaned as Rei shifted her hips against him, rubbing up against his erect member. "You're tormenting me Rei-chan."

Rei raised her head from Shinji's chest and smiled alluringly up at him. "You know what I want Shin-chan. I'll stop tormenting you as soon as you give it to me."

Shinji chuckled slightly and lowered the two of them to the ground. As soon as their feet touched the ground Rei pushed him to the floor and lowered herself down on top of him. For a moment Shinji played with her, running his member around the edge of her flower before finally allowing himself to sink into her.

Rei groaned in pleasure as she lowered herself further, allowing Shinji to slide deeper into her. She quickly caught Shinji's lips with her own as his hands once again moved to her breasts. The kiss was even more passionate than its predecessors and Rei allowed herself to get lost in the feeling of it as she began to rock her hips back and forth.

The two continued to kiss, groaning into each other's throats. Their movements became more rapid and passionate as time went on, Shinji's hands releasing Rei's breasts and going around her waist, pulling her in closer.

(Elsewhere, Terminal Dogma)

Nara leant against a wall in a dark hallway somewhere in the depths of Terminal Dogma. He could vaguely hear the distant sounds of Rei and Shinji's love making but ignored them as an unimportant distraction.

All he wanted at this point was to figure out who he was. He had so many memories swimming around in his head. Memories of his time spent as Nara, Tabris' memories, the memories that Rei and Shinji had shared with him shortly after his awakening. Even the memories of the other Angels, foggy and incomplete as they were, were beginning to surface.

Always before Nara had thought of himself as a human but now just by looking at himself he knew that to be a lie. He could see the red circles on his palm, every time he caught sight of his reflection dark red eyes stared back at him, he could feel if not see the wings hidden in his back.

Nara signed and bowed his head. As Tabris he had been a puppet to Seele, was it any different know. The masters may have changed but was he not still a puppet. "Why can't I ever just be me?" He laughed hollowly. "I don't even know who I am."

(Next Day, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji slowly opened his eyes, noting that he didn't feel a hint of fatigue despite his all-night excursion with Rei. He glanced down at Rei's still sleeping form. She was sprawled across him. Some of her body supported by his right wing and arm the rest by his chest.

Shinji casually reached up with his left hand and brushed a lock of Rei's hair out of her eyes. As he did so Rei began to stir, she didn't yawn she just lifted her head from its position on Shinji's chest and smiled at him. Slowly she slid her way up his form and kissed him softly on the lips. Shinji returned the kiss gently.

"Not needing to breath is very useful isn't it?"

The two teens broke off the kiss and looked up at who had spoken. Nara stood over them, still dressed in his black body-suit.

Nara smiled down at them, though it was evident to his two companions that his heart wasn't really in it. "Since sleep is obviously not necessary for us perhaps we should engage in more training. It's not even dawn yet so we have time before Ritsuko will be down here wanting us to do more tests. That is unless you two have something better to do of course."

Rei frowned slightly as she rose to her feet. "Is something wrong Nara, you seem annoyed at something."

Shinji rose behind Rei. "You've been acting strangely ever since you and Rei assumed your true forms."

Nara's expression became slightly annoyed. "Nothing's wrong. Now unless you want to train naked I suggest you put on your suits."

Rei and Shinji didn't say anything further, instead opting to silently pull on their body-suits but both were deeply worried about Nara. Something was definitely wrong.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Misato watched and monitored the battle taking place in the virtual Tokyo-3. Touji and Kensuke hadn't reported in yet and were likely still asleep but Asuka was already here. She had demanded to be allowed into the simulator by herself.

Fortunately Ritsuko had been here and had reprogrammed the simulation so that Asuka could do as she wished. Ramiel, Matariel, Sahaqiel and Bardiel had all been removed from the simulation and the 18th Angel had been added in.

So far Asuka had already destroyed Sachiel and Israfel and she showed no signs of slowly down, her Eva completely undamaged. Part of her success she owed to the new weapon Ritsuko had given her, having recently completed it in real life.

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Asuka cut Shamshiel in two with a single swing of her new weapon, sending its upper half crashing to the ground. Jumping forward she landed directly on its chest, crushing its S2 organ with her feet.

Stepping away from the now dead Angel she admired the weapon Ritsuko had given to her. It was the perfect weapon for her. A weapon that needed both rage fuelled brute strength and superior skill to be wielded effectively.

The weapon consisted of a long smooth staff-like handle that was slightly taller than her Eva and had what Ritsuko described as a progressive double axe on each end. The progressive double axes were just what their name suggested, an axe head that had a blade on each side, making it look almost like a pair of wings. The huge weapon had as much reach as a Longinus spear and the length of the handle allowed Asuka to put a tremendous amount of force into her attacks. The four deadly blades could cut through an Angel's AT field and body like tissue paper. Ritsuko called it the progressive battle axe.

Asuka deployed her wings and took to the sky, searching for the three remaining Angels.

(Dawn, Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

Shinji floated above the mountain range on the edge of Tokyo-3. Wings extended he looked down at the jagged peaks. After a moment of thought he descended to the tallest of the peaks and stood on its apex. Slowly he lifted his arms and held them to either side, palms facing away from his body. The circles on his palms began to glow.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Maya was working at one of the consoles in the control room, a mug of coffee on the desk beside her. The other two bridge bunnies hadn't arrived yet and she was alone in the cavernous room.

Just as she began to reach for her coffee a massive tremor shook the base, her coffee mug smashing to the floor along within anything else in the room that wasn't nailed down.

Overcoming her temporary shock, Maya began typing furiously on her keyboard, bringing up an overhead view of Tokyo-3 on the screen. What she saw shocked her far more than the tremor. An entire section of the mountain range on the edge of the city (three mountains at least) had disappeared. All that was left was a jagged crater.

Just at that point Gendo strode into the room. "Report."

Maya gulped loudly. "I don't know what happed sir, the base shook and when I brought up Tokyo-3 on the screen the mountains were just gone." She suddenly noticed a small spec floating above the center of the crater. "What the?" She zoomed in on it.

Gendo smirked slightly when he saw who it was.

(Tokyo-3 Outskirts)

Shinji silently surveyed the damage around him, pleased with the results. That blast had only been a fraction of what that particular attack was capable of and it had still managed to level the mountains caught within its destructive radius. The Angel army wouldn't stand a chance against its full power.

(Virtual Tokyo-3)

Asuka swung her progressive battle axe in an overhead arc at the glowing end of Armisael. Before she could connect however, Armisael's other end whipped up and around, angling towards her Eva's back.

Changing the direction of her attack mid-swing Asuka swung the other end of the battle axe at the approaching end, neatly splitting it in two. Blood pouring from the damaged end, Armisael tried one last time to connect with its remaining intact end.

Asuka was too fast however and flew just above the attack. Striking downwards with one end of her battle axe she drove it straight through Armisael's body. She drove the Angel to the ground and landed on top of it, ripping the battle axe out of its body, tearing a huge hole in Armisael in the process.

The worm like Angel withered for a moment, soaking the nearby buildings with blood. Then it went still, blood still pouring from its wounds.

Asuka spread her wings wide only to have them sheered off by the tape-like arms of Zeruel. Looking up she saw both Zeruel and the 18th Angel standing at the end of the street. Zeruel's arms returning to their usual length.

Ignoring the pain from the severed wings, Asuka gritted her teeth and charged towards the two Angels. Bringing her battle axe around for another swing, she barely avoided cutting her own arm off, distracted as she was by her targets.

As Unit-14 closed the gap the 18th Angel raised its arms and fired, twin beams lancing towards Unit-14. At the same time Zeruel launched both arms towards the approaching Eva.

Asuka continued to charge forward despite the approaching attacks waiting until the very last moment to dodge. Just as she was about to charge headlong into both Angels' attacks she rolled to the left (barely avoiding the two beams) and reaching up, caught Zeruel's right arm with her left hand. As Zeruel's left arm penetrated deep into her Eva's side she pulled tightly on the captured arm and slammed the massive Angel into a nearby building. Zeruel's violent movement caused part of its left arm to be torn off and left behind in Unit-14's body.

Rising from the roll, Asuka swung her massive battle axe around with her right arm, severing both of the 18th Angel's legs at the knee and subsequently sending the Angel crashing to the ground. Pushing off from the ground with all the power in her Eva's legs, Asuka leapt high into the air.

Just as Asuka's jump reached its zenith Zeruel's right arm shot out of the building Asuka had thrown the Angel into. Whirling around in mid-air, Asuka swung her axe around and threw it at the approaching arm just as Zeruel stepped out of the building. The battle axe swung in a rapid circle, racing towards the approaching arm and the Angel below. Certain of her aim, Asuka turned her attention back to the 18th Angel, which had raised one of its arms and was preparing to attack.

As Unit-14 began to fall back towards the ground the 18th Angel extended its right arm and sent it racing towards the red Eva. The arm smashed into Unit-14's shoulder but Asuka simply spun with the impact and landed feet first on Unit-18's head, smashing it apart. At the same time her axe tore through Zeruel's arm, splitting it in half along almost its entire length. Continuing through the axe cut Zeruel neatly in half, bisecting the Angel's S2 organ before embedding itself in the ground.

Ripping the 18th Angel's right arm from its socket and stamping the other into the ground, Asuka brought her right fist down on the Angel's chest, smashing straight through it and crushing the Angel's S2 organ. Asuka was disconnected from the simulator.

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

As always Gendo sat behind his desk and Fuyutsuki stood beside him though Ritsuko was strangely absent this time, supposedly working on the repairs to Units 14, 16 and 17. Shinji, Rei and Nara stood in front of the commander's desk.

Gendo held Shinji's eyes with a steady gaze. "What happened out there Shinji?"

Shinji's gaze was just as steady as Gendo's. "A simple test. An Angel army will not be easy to destroy. I want to know the full extent of my powers before I have to confront one. Before today I wasn't sure of that particular attacks potential."

Gendo smirked. "And what attack is that."

Shinji smiled menacingly. "The same attack Seele planned to use during the Third Impact, an Anti-AT field. When an Anti-AT field and AT field are combined, the effects are…destructive."

Gendo nodded almost imperceptible. "Very well, return to your training, but no more… experiments."

(Three Days Later, Seele Conference Room)

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "Is everything in place?"

The obelisk marked 09 glowed brighter. "Yes, the Angel army is in position. We are ready to proceed with the attack."

The obelisk marked 08 glowed brighter. "Xera is ready to carry out her mission."

The obelisk marked 01 glowed brighter. "Then let us begin."

(5 Minutes Later, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Shinji marched down one of the many corridors of Nerv, Rei and Nara close behind him. He wasn't bothered by the loud sirens or the scurrying Nerv personnel who surrounded them. He headed resolutely towards his destination, Terminal Dogma and Unit-01.

As the three teens reached the central elevator a loud feminine voice boomed out across the loud speakers. "Warning, Tokyo-3 defences breached. Evas deployed to Geo-Front. All personnel retreat to the primary Geo-front bunkers. Warning, Tokyo-3 defences…" The voice droned out as the elevator doors closed.

None of the teens spoke as the elevator descended, they knew what was going on and they knew what they had to do. They'd been preparing for this for the last three days.

The elevator eventually stoped and the doors opened, the sound almost entirely masked by the sirens that blared even here.

Shinji stepped out of the elevator and began heading for the chamber in which Unit-01 was stored. His two companions followed silently.

They were halfway to the chamber when the roof above them suddenly exploded, showering the floor with debris and sending tremors along the walls. A shape fell through the resulting hole and landed in a crouch on the debris, its silvery wings spread wide.

The figure slowly rose, revealing a feminine face and long flowing silver hair. She looked directly at Shinji. "You are Shinji Ikari?"

Shinji nodded slightly.

The girl smiled menacingly. "Then prepare to die. My name is Xera and I was sent here to destroy you." Her eyes were as cold as ice.

Shinji didn't look remotely threatened. "You will find that a difficult feat to pull off." He spread his own wings but stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he found himself face-to-face with Nara.

Nara's face was expressionless. "Let me take care of this Shinji. You don't have the time to waste. You and Rei go take care of that army, I'll handle things here."

Xera cast her eyes over Nara and Rei. She looked slightly curious but nevertheless resolute in her goal. "I was sent here to destroy Shinji Ikari, you are meaningless to me."

Nara spread his grey wings. "If you want to fight Shinji, you have to defeat me first. If you can't do that you don't stand a chance against Shinji."

Shinji slowly retracted his wings. "Are you sure about this Nara?"

Nara nodded. "I'm sure, now go."

Rei touched Nara on the shoulder, a slightly worried expression on her face. "Take care of yourself Nara."

Nara smiled. "Don't worry." He clenched his fists. "I won't lose."

Xera didn't do anything for a moment, then nodded slowly. She still looked only vaguely interested in Nara. "Fine, if I need to go through you to get to him then so be it."

Shinji and Rei looked between the two then nodded simultaneously and walked down a side corridor. Shinji turned back just as they reached the end of the corridor. "Good look Nara."

Nara didn't take his eyes off Xera. "Thanks, same to you." His eyes were dark and shadowed.

(Terminal Dogma, Eva Bay)

Shinji and Rei floated up to the entry plug on Unit-01's back which immediately ejected to grant them access. Both teens climbed into the entry plug. Once they were both in the plug re-sealed and re-injected itself.

Inside, Shinji and Rei embraced each other as the walls of the plug flowed and reached out. The LCL darkened slightly and then the walls touched the plugs occupants. Shinji and Rei faded then disappeared, only their suits left floating in the plug.

For a moment nothing happened then Unit-01's eyes ignited, glowing blood red. It opened its mouth and roared, extending its AT field and shaking the foundations of Nerv. Glowing wings extending from its back, it tore free of its constraints and smashed through the ceiling, heading straight for the surface.

(Tokyo-3, Central District)

Tokyo-3 resembled a wasteland. All its remaining buildings had been levelled, leaving nothing but craters and rubble. The entire city was swarming with Angels, hundreds of them. Many where clones of the 18th Angel, others were clones of the 19th Angel, a few were clones of the 20th Angel. They were preparing to blast their way into the Geo-Front.

Suddenly the ground in the center of the city exploded outwards and a purple and green behemoth with glowing wings emerged, its eyes glowing a menacing blood red. All the Angels turned towards it and prepared to attack.

* * *

End Notes: Well that's it for another chapter. Chapter 6 promises to be interesting with Nara vs Xera and Unit-01 vs the Angel Army. It won't be up for awhile but I'll try to get it done as quickly as I can. As always please review. 


	6. The Last Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, or the characters that appear in it, or the basic premises of the show.

Author's Notes: So here it is, Chapter 6 of 'The Angels Return'. This is the longest chapter so far, several thousand words longer than previous chapters. And it's almost entirely battle scenes. Enjoy.

* * *

**6. The Last Angel**

(Terminal Dogma)

Nara stood barely two meters in front of Xera, his face still completely emotionless, showing no sign of any trepidation at the coming fight.

For her part Xera looked a little uneasy, Seele had mentioned Nara Ayanami only as one of Nerv's pilots, an unexplained anomaly but not a real threat. And yet he stood before her now with dark red eyes watching intently and grey wings extended, showing him to be at least part Angel and a greater threat than predicted. "Should we begin?"

Nara responded without showing any emotion. "It's a little cramp in here don't you think." He raised his right arm and pointed his palm away from his body. "Why don't we widen the playing field?" He fired a huge blast of energy from his palm, sending it straight through the corridor's right wall.

The beam blasted through wall after wall before finally emerging in Terminal Dogma's central chamber, just outside of Heaven's Gate and the LCL Chamber. It blasted two of the stone pillars to the ground before finally dissipating.

Back in the corridor Nara floated off the ground then turned to the giant hole, through which the central chamber was clearly visible. "Follow me, unless you're afraid of course." He flew into the hole and towards the chamber.

Xera hesitated for a moment but then followed him into the hole. She looked at the red circles that adorned her palms. She had hoped the boy wouldn't be capable of such an attack.

(Tokyo-3, Central District)

Unit-01 touched down at the edge of the hole it had made in order to get to the surface, its glowing wings disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. The Eva's own soul had combined with Rei and Shinji's giving the Eva the powers of Adam and Lilith and turning its eyes blood red.

The Eva stood with its head bowed, seemingly unperturbed with the surrounding Angels. It slowly raised its right arm up in front of it, holding its hand slightly slack with the fingers curled but not clenched.

There was a moment of stillness then black beams of light shot out from either side of the Eva's hand, slowly solidifying into a long black staff. The ends of the staff continued to glow for a moment longer than the rest of its bulk and formed into vicious looking black lance heads. When the light finally faded completely Unit-01 was left holding a black, double-ended, Lancea Longini. It opened its mouth and roared. A sound that spread throughout the ruined city.

Instantly all nearby 19th Angels charged towards Unit-01, all nearby 18th Angels raised their arms and fired black energy beams at the Eva and all nearby 20th Angels began to focus their AT fields.

Unit-01 raised the new Lancea Longini above its head. The two lance heads began to glow brightly.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Ritsuko was watching a camera feed at her personal console. It showed Nara standing in front of a silvery haired, silver winged girl in one of the many corridors in Terminal Dogma. On the computer screen Nara raised his hand and fired a huge blast through the corridors wall. Unfortunately the blast and the focused AT field behind it knocked out all the sensors in Terminal Dogma, including the camera feed, triggering the camera to simply replay the last minute of recorded footage. Ritsuko now had no idea what was going on down there.

Maya called out to Ritsuko from across the room. "Sempai, I've got a visual on Unit-01." No sooner had she spoken then she brought the image up on the main view screen.

The image showed Unit-01 standing amongst the Angels in the ruins of Tokyo-3. It was being charged and fired upon by the horde of Angels and yet all it was doing was holding what appeared to be a black, double-ended lance above its head.

Fuyutsuki watched the screen from the observation deck and noticed that the ends of the lance were glowing. He'd been warned about this. He gripped the railing beside him tightly. At his viewing desk Gendo placed his hands flat on the desk's surface.

(Tokyo-3, Central District)

The 19th Angels and 18th Angels' energy beams were now mere meters from Unit-01 and the nearby 20th Angels had launched their AT fields forward at full strength, heedless of the damage caused to some of the lesser Angels. The ends of the black Lancea Longini resembled small stars in their brightness. Tendrils of energy had begun to travel down the length of the weapon's haft, reaching towards each other.

For a moment time seemed to slow and then stop, everything seemed to freeze where it was, the scythe blade arm of one of the 19th Angels stopping mere inches from Unit-01's head, an energy beam freezing a hairsbreadth from the Eva's back. Then the tendrils of energy met.

A raging expanse of black energy shot out from the tendrils' meeting place, engulfing the nearby Angels in nanoseconds. The blast continued to spread, forming into a pitch black hemisphere of death that sped across the ruins of Tokyo-3, the entire central district was absorbed, Angels and buildings alike disappearing into the blackness.

The blast didn't stop there however, it didn't even slow down. It continued to spread, engulfing everything from the central district to the Tokyo-3 outskirts. When it finally stoped expanding, more than two-thirds of the Angel army had been engulfed. The remainder, unwilling to enter the dark expanse, could do nothing but watch and wait.

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Nara and Xera now stood in the cavernous central chamber of Terminal Dogma. They each stood on top of one of the many rock pillars that inhabited the chamber, facing each other across the empty expanse.

Xera stood in a slight crouch, ready to launch herself towards Nara. All she was waited for was an opening, a moment of distraction, a lowering of his guard, anything. But Nara just stood there and looked at her, his face betraying nothing.

Xera was about to attack regardless when the chamber shook, a massive tremor that spread across the entire chamber, shaking the stone pillar that Xera stood on and…the stone pillar that Nara stood on.

For an instant Nara turned his attention away from Xera and looked down at his feet. Xera took the opportunity and launched herself off the pillar, smashing it apart with the force of her departure.

As she raced towards Nara she swung her right fist forward, aiming for the boy's chest. She was just about to connect when Nara suddenly turned back to her. A brief look of shock crossed the boy's face but he quickly recovered and brought up both his hands to defend himself. Catching Xera's wrist he stoped both her fist and her forward momentum, her knuckles coming to a halt less than a centimeter from his skin.

Unperturbed Xera swung her left fist around and punched Nara square in the jaw, causing him to stumble slightly to his left. Nara kept his footing however and his hold on her wrist. Bringing up his right leg he kicked her firmly in the abdomen and released her wrist, sending her flying back a couple of meters before she came to a stop, hovering in the air.

Nara brought up his hand and rubbed his jaw. When he brought his hand to his eyes he noticed there was a trace of blood on it. "You neutralised my AT field, impressive." The small bruise that had formed on his jaw disappeared and the blood flow stoped. "But pointless, you'll never be able to cause me any permanent harm." He clenched his right fist and formed a blade. "Unfortunately for you, that doesn't apply both ways."

Xera continued to float in her position slightly in front of and above Nara. "You're not the only one who knows how to manipulate an AT field." She clenched her own right fist and generated a blade as black as Nara's.

Nara jumped backwards of the stone pillar, coming to a stop floating in the air several meters from Xera. He raised his blade in front of him and waited.

Xera smiled slightly. "Let's really begin then shall we."

Both teens launched themselves forward, blades swinging.

(Tokyo-3)

Slowly the black hemisphere diminished, creeping back towards its point of origin. As it collapsed in on itself it slowly faded and disappeared. The destruction left behind was amazing to behold.

The majority of the ground previously covered by the explosion was now a twisted wasteland of warped metal and bloody body parts, blood and gore covering everything in sight. The Angels caught within the blast had been torn apart, none of them left fully intact. The warped metal was all that remained of the buildings.

Among the dead corpses however some Angel parts began to move and grow, drawing other parts to them. Though the vast majority of Angels caught in the explosion had been destroyed a handful had survived and they were now slowly beginning to regenerate.

Near the center of the explosion the destruction was worse. There nothing had been left behind, Angels and buildings alike completely incinerated by the raging energies. The ground had been churned up, leaving a ring of loose dust and dirt. Here the ground began to slope down gently towards the explosion's center.

At the center of the explosion was a gaping hole. The sheer amount of force released here had blasted straight through to the Geo-Front, opening the massive underground cavern to the outside world. The ground and everything on it had been annihilated.

At the very center of the explosion floated Unit-01, seemingly unscathed by its own attack. Its glowing wings were fully extended and it had lowered its weapon, now holding the titanic Lancea by its side. Its head was once again bowed.

Those Angels who had escaped the explosion stood at the edge of the wasteland, noticeable wary to enter, fearing another attack from Unit-01. The engineered Angels were not extremely intelligent but they were sentient and capable of independent thoughts and emotions, including fear.

Unit-01 slowly raised its head and surveyed the destruction around it. Inside its fused soul considered. The attack had been a success but Unit-01 was now low on energy, too low to attempt such an attack again. It would be hours before another Anti-AT field attack could be generated and that was time Unit-01 did not have. Still with the double-ended Lancea Longini it was more than capable of defending itself against the remaining Angels, its only concern was how many Angels might manage to slip past it and into the gaping hole it had created, allowing them instant access to the Geo-Front and Evas below.

Not content with staying put forever Unit-01 launched itself towards the surrounding Angels, swinging the Lancea out it front of it.

(Geo-Front)

Unit-14 stood below the gaping hole in the roof of the Geo-Front, its head tilted back in an attempt to see the activity in the city above.

Asuka was confused. She had been told to defend the Geo-Front at all cost and had eagerly awaited the arrival of whatever enemy it was she had to face. Uncaring of the presence of Touji and Kensuke she had been determined to take on all comers by herself.

And then the ground in front of her had burst open and what she could have sworn was Unit-01 had shot past her and smashed straight through the Geo-Front's ceiling. Of course that was impossible; Unit-01 had been destroyed along with Shinji when he had selfdestructed it against the 19th Angel. Perhaps it was Unit-19, but then Unit-19 was brown and silver, not purple and green. And Unit-19 had the same kind of feathery wings her Eva was equipped with. She was sure this Eva had been sporting the same glowing energy wings Unit-01 had always used.

Asuka had been violently jarred from her thoughts by some sort of explosion on the surface that had rocked the Geo-Front and left a gaping hole the ceiling. Even where the ceiling had remained intact, large clumps of rock and metal had fallen to the floor, broken off by the tremors that ran all through the Geo-Front.

Asuka had wanted to go to the surface but had been ordered to stay where she was, threatened with expulsion from Nerv if she did not comply. So instead she waited and brooded. She thought she saw something floating at the center of the hole but it disappeared before she could focus on it.

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Nara and Xera fought violently, blades continually clashing as they battled in mid-air high above the chamber's floor, there arms extending when more reach was required for any given attack. Every time one of them managed to connect with their blade the resulting wound healed almost as fast as it was made and so far neither was showing any sign of fatigue.

A particular powerful swing from Xera was skilfully blocked by Nara who slid his blade along the length of hers and cut a deep wound in her right arm. Xera countered by kneeing him viciously in the abdomen and attempted to impale him with her left blade. Nara dodged the attack however and managed to grab her already damaged right arm. He twisted and there was an audible snap as the arm broke. Kicking out with her left foot, Xera connected with Nara's abdomen and drove him back slightly, giving her arm time to heal. A second later the two were clashing once again.

Taking advantage of a temporary lull in the fighting Nara fired an energy beam from his left palm, only to have it countered by an identical beam fired by Xera. The two beams collided and spread out, creating a large ball of energy between the two combatants. For a moment the beams jostled with each other, then simultaneously exploded, blowing the two combatants back.

When the light from the explosion cleared, Nara and Xera were left facing each other over a distance of some ten meters, both still showing no sign of weariness.

Xera eyed Nara warily. She had hoped to finish this fight quickly and move onto her assigned task of destroying Shinji Ikari but it was proving far more difficult then she had originally thought. She still hadn't managed to find a weakness in the boy's fighting style and he showed no signs of slowing down any time soon. She also found herself rather curious about the boy's origins. "Who are you, exactly?"

Nara crossed his arms over his chest. "You would probable know me best as Tabris."

Xera's eyes widened slightly in shock. "You, you are Tabris?"

Nara smiled wickedly. "Surprised?"

Xera looked even more wary then she had before. "But Tabris is supposed to be dead. He was killed by Unit-01 when he failed to initiate Third Impact."

Nara shook his head slightly. "Kaoru died that day, but Tabris returned during the Third Impact. After Third Impact was adverted I was born, a vessel for Tabris' soul."

"So you're not Tabris?" The confusion was evident in Xera's voice.

Nara's shoulders moved in what could be considered a shrug. "I haven't quite figured that part out yet, suffice to say I have his power and a whole lot more. Now do you want to fight or do you want to stand here talking all day." He clenched his left fist and generated a second blade.

Xera mimicked the action. "I will defeat you. Nothing you can do will stop that."

Nara smiled. "We'll see."

Once again the two teens launched towards each other.

(Tokyo-3 Ruins)

Unit-01 sped through the air towards the closest Angel, one of the 18th. It swung one end of the black Lancea Longini at the Angels side, putting an incredible amount of force behind the attack.

The Angel instinctively raised its arms to block the attack but to no avail, the massive weapon ripped straight through arms and body alike, cutting straight through the Angel's side and striking its S2 organ with such force that it shattered on impact.

Not even pausing to watch the Angel fall, Unit-01 tore the Lancea free of the Angel's body and moved on, launching itself towards the frightening visage of a 19th Angel. With a single swing Unit-01 severed one of the Angel's talon arms and two of its scythe blades arms. Flying over the top of the wounded Angel it pushed one end of the Lancea into its back and pulled, tearing the creature almost in two down its entire form and damaging many of its S2 organs. The damaged S2 organs exploded, causing a chain reaction that tore the entire Angel apart and obliterated all of its remaining S2 organs.

Ignoring the explosion Unit-01 swung around and buried the Lancea in the chest of a nearby 18th Angel, puncturing its S2 organ. Ripping upwards it split the Angel's torso and head in two, pulling the Lancea free of the useless corpse.

One of the 19th Angels chose that moment to charge Unit-01 in the side, smashing it to the ground and causing its energy wings to disappear. It attempted to hold Unit-01 on the ground with its talons as it brought its scythe blades down to finish the Eva off. Before the scythes could connect however Unit-01 blasted the Angel with its AT field, causing the crimson monstrosity to stumble back a couple of steps. Wasting no time Unit-01 raised its left arm and pointed its palm at the 19th Angel, revealing the red circle that had appeared there. Before the Angel could react a massive energy beam shot from the Eva's hand, incinerating the Angel in a heartbeat and continuing on to blast off one of the 20th Angels' legs.

Behind the rampaging Eva one of the 19th Angels managed to jump into the hole leading to the Geo-Front, following the example of the three 18th Angels that had gone before it.

(Geo-Front)

The 19th Angel hit the ground on all fours, shattering the rock below it and causing several nearby trees to come crashing to the ground. When the dust cleared it raised its head and glanced around.

If the Angel's face had been capable of showing surprise then it would have shown it at this point. It had expected to find 18th Angels wreaking havoc but instead it found a red Eva standing on top of the slain body of one of the black Angels, with another dead Angel slightly behind it. In the distance a white and a black Eva stood over the still form of the last of the three 18th Angels to have made it to the Geo-Front.

The 19th Angel barely had enough time to rise to its full height before it was charged by the red Eva. Caught off guard the huge Angel had only enough time to raise two of its scythe blade arms before the Eva was upon it. The attacking Eva brought one end of a huge double-ended battle axe down on the two arms, cutting one of them in two and causing the other to shatter and fall apart. Continuing through with the attack it sent the axe head tearing into the Angels chest, puncturing some of its S2 organs.

Howling in pain the Angel brought two of its tentacles swinging around and smashed them into the Eva's chest, sending it flying back to land in a crouch some distance from the wounded Angel. Unfortunately the Eva managed to keep hold of its weapon and tore it out of the Angel's body as it was flung backwards, causing even more damage than it had originally inflicted.

Regardless the 19th Angel began to heal rapidly, its remaining S2 organs quickly repairing the damage it had suffered, even repairing the S2 organs that had been damaged in the attack. What was strange was that the Eva didn't appear to have been remotely phased by being knocked back. Its eyes glowing bright, the Eva threw back its head and roared.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Misato had now arrived in the control room and was watching the main view screen which showed Unit-14 standing in front of what appeared to be a copy of the 19th Angel. Misato wanted to find out what was happening but right now there were more important things to worry about, like Asuka's well being. "What's Asuka's status?"

As always Maya was typing furiously at her console. "Her sync ratio is at 267 and still rising. I can't get a reading on her life-signs."

Misato gripped the railing in front of her tightly. "Can you get a view of the plugs interior?"

Maya shook her head. "I'm sorry Major, there's too much interference from Unit-14's AT field. I can't get a feed from any of the internal cameras or microphones."

Misato's hands were turning red from the force with which she was gripping the railing. "Damn it, what's happening to her?" She turned to Maya. "Give me an audio link to Units 16 and 17."

Maya hit several keys on her console. "Alright, you're on."

Misato moved the microphone on her collar close to her mouth. "Touji, Kensuke I need you to back up Asuka right now."

"Right." The two teens responded simultaneously and without protest. Their two Evas went charging towards Unit-14 and the Angel.

Ritsuko leaned over Maya's shoulder. "Can you get a visual on the surface?"

Maya shook her head slightly. "Sorry, all the cameras up there where knocked out by the explosion and there's no way I can access a satellite with this much interference."

Ritsuko nodded in understanding. "What about Terminal Dogma."

Maya shrugged. "I'm working on it, Nara knocked out most of the systems down there but I might still be able to get some of the cameras operational again. It's going to take some time though."

Ritsuko considered for a second. "Focus on the battle in the Geo-Front. I'll see what we can do about Terminal Dogma."

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Nara and Xera were still trading blows in the central chamber of Terminal Dogma. They were fighting with everything they had, feet, fists, knees, blades. Even their wings were being used as offensive weapons, usually tussling with the opponent's wings as they were too weak to do much else.

Their blades clashed in a deadly dance as Xera took the offensive and tried to get a shot at Nara's S2 organ. Her two blades rose and fell in rapid succession, aiming for the base of her opponent's ribcage. Nara however blocked the vicious onslaught with his own two blades, as the defender he had more time to respond to Xera's movements and he used that time effectively.

Barely avoiding a swing from Xera's right blade, Nara caught her left between his own two blades. As Xera tried to take another swing with her right, he flipped his blades around and caught that blade as well. Unfortunately Nara was now unable to move his blades without releasing Xera's, leaving the two at somewhat of a stalemate. Neither teen tried to lash out with their legs or wings, knowing that the other would simply block them and the distraction could mean the other winning the blade battle.

Xera gritted her teeth as she struggled to pull her blades free. "Why are you so powerful, it makes no sense? Tabris was never this strong."

Nara didn't seem as strained as the girl. "I am more than Tabris ever was. I have the souls of fifteen Angels within me."

Xera increased her attempts to liberate her blades. "What do you mean?"

Nara kept his face expressionless. "Exactly what I said. My soul has fifteen Angel souls fused into it. I contain the souls of Sachiel, Shamshiel, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Sandalphon, Matariel, Sahaqiel, Yrouel, Leliel, Bardiel, Zeruel, Arael, Armisael and Tabris." He bit out each name as he spoke.

Xera began to focus more of her AT field into her blades in an attempt to break through Nara's blades. "That isn't possible, all of those Angels were destroyed by Nerv."

Nara focused more of his AT field into his blades and continued to hold Xera's blades between his own. "Who told you that? Seele?" He laughed slightly. "For men intent on playing God they understand little. A real Angel can never be completely destroyed. Their souls will always be out there somewhere. They just need a catalyst and a vessel to bring them back into the material world. In this case the catalyst was the Third Impact and the vessel…was me."

By now the two combatants had focused so much of their AT fields into their blades that the weapons were beginning to glow and shake violently, putting an increasing amount of strain on both Nara and Xera. Growing tired of the stalemate, Nara finally released Xera's blades, propelling himself backwards to avoid any form of counterattack from Xera.

Now separated the two teens took a moment to recover from the fierce struggle, their blades first dimming then disappearing altogether.

Nara recovered noticeable faster than Xera. "You're growing tired."

Xera finally managed to get her body back under control. "Perhaps, but my S2 organ will replenish my energy before it slows me down." She brought both her arms forward and fired two thin beams at Nara.

Nara stood still, making no attempt to dodge the attack. Just before the beams could strike him, a large glowing hexagon appeared in their path. The beams struck the hexagon and reflected off it, flying off to opposite ends of the chamber where they detonated against the walls.

Nara smiled slightly. "Your energy reserves aren't limitless. Eventually your S2 organ is going to run out of power. Until that happens I'm more than capable of defending myself from your attacks."

Xera smirked. "So you can defend yourself with your AT field. I can do that to. If you think that makes you safe from my attacks you're wrong."

Nara's smile slipped. "Tell me something, why do you work for Seele?"

At first Xera looked a little surprised but she covered it up quickly. "That's simple, Seele are the one's who created me. I wouldn't exist if it wasn't for them."

Nara signed. "A simple reason, and a foolish one. What is the point of existence if you just throw it away to repay those who gave it to you?"

Xera's eyes narrowed in anger. "Spare me the mind games. I came here to fight." She clenched her fists, generating twin blades once again.

Nara signed and followed suit. "You came here because they told you to. Just like I did, a long time ago." He jumped to the attack, meeting Xera half way in a flurry of blades.

(Tokyo-3 Ruins)

Unit-01 tore straight through the body of one of the 20th Angels, passing through its entire form in less than a second and smashing its S2 organ to smithereens. Turning in mid air it hurled its Lancea at one of the 18th Angels, sending it straight through the black Angel's S2 organ. Raising its right arm it fired a huge energy beam that incinerated one of the 19th Angels whole. Its eyes glowed brighter for a second and two more of the 18th Angels were torn apart by black cross flares.

Landing with a thunderous crash in front of the corpse of the 18th Angel currently skewered by the black Lancea, Unit-01 tore the weapon free and turned to the next Angel. Its eyes still glowing a malevolent blood red.

(Geo-Front)

Units 16 and 17 ran towards the huge form of the 19th Angel, their Longinus spears held in front of them. The fearsome Angel had its back to them, as it was preparing to charge Unit-14.

Taking advantage of the Angel's distraction, Touji hurled his Longinus spear at it, sending it plunging into the Angel's back and severing one of the Angel's tentacles in the process. Roaring, the Angel turned towards him, its missing tentacle already beginning to regenerate. It was a mistake.

Unit-14 let out an animalistic scream and charged the Angel from behind, spinning its progressive battle axe in a circle as it ran. Before the Angel could turn to face the onrushing Eva Unit-14 jumped onto its back and brought its still spinning battle axe down on the Angel's armoured hide. The spiralling weapon tore through the Angel like a hacksaw, tearing its insides apart and completely shattering many of its S2 organs. Roaring in pain, the Angel was driven to the ground under Unit-14's weight.

Two of the Angel's remaining tentacles whipped around and tried to strike the Eva, only to be severed themselves when Unit-14 tore its axe free and swung it around behind it, severing both the tentacles and the Angel's spiked tail.

The Angel was just about to blast the Eva with its AT field when both Angel and Eva suddenly disappeared in a explosion of glowing cross-flares. Units 16 and 17 stoped in their tracks, their pilots shielding their eyes from the light.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Misato watched with baited breath as the light from the cross-flares dimmed and then faded. Signing in relief when a still fully intact Unit-14 was revealed, gripping the progressive battle axe in one hand and Touji's Longinus spear in the other. Of the Angel only a field of blood and gore remained, none of its S2 organs had been left intact by the cross-flares.

The red Eva threw the Longinus spear back to Unit-16 and walked past its two comrades, heading for the Geo-Front's new entrance.

Maya turned to Misato from her console. "Major, Asuka's sync ratio had levelled out at 400. Just like the last time." She started slightly as her console started beeping incessantly and turned back to it. "Major, we've got two more 18th Angels entering the Geo-Front. Unit-14's already heading for them."

Misato nodded and activated her microphone. "Okay guys, I want you to back Asuka up. Watch her back okay." Both Touji and Kensuke responded in the affirmative and took off after Unit-14.

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Xera ducked under a swing from Nara's right blade and cut a deep wound in his chest with her left. Unfazed, Nara managed to wrap up Xera's right arm with his AT field and, crushing inwards, he mutilated the limb and tore it from her body, the arm coming off at the shoulder.

Screaming in pain Xera drifted backwards slightly and Nara took the opportunity to stab his right blade into her chest, running her through with the glowing weapon.

Xera's eyes went wide and for a moment a look of terror crossed her face but the look quickly disappeared when she realised her S2 organ hadn't been pierced. She smiled evilly. "You missed."

The wound on Nara's chest healed quickly though the tear remained in his already tattered suit. "I wasn't aiming for your S2 organ. I'm not going to kill you…yet." He pulled the now blood soaked blade out of her chest and floated backwards, putting some distance between himself and Xera.

Xera gritted her teeth as her arm regenerated and the hole in her chest knitted itself back together. Her silver body-suit now lacked a right sleeve and the tears caused by her impalement where still visible, adding to the many other tears so far incurred in the battle. "You should have killed me when you had the chance. You won't get another." She clenched the fist of her newly formed right arm and regenerated her right blade.

Nara allowed both his blades to dissipate and held his hands out in front of him. "You should realise by now that you cannot defeat me but if I still have to prove myself to you then so be it." He fired two small beams from his palms, cutting the flow of energy off quickly.

Xera raised her AT field and deflected the blasts but was caught off guard as Nara launched himself towards her, stretching his right arm beyond its natural length. Before she could react his right fist struck her chest with bone shattering force. Instinctively she bent over at the waist in an attempt to protect herself, exposing her neck in the process. Raising his left arm Nara brought it down hard on her neck, felling the vertebrae snap with the force of the impact. Performing a back-flip in mid-air Nara brought both feet down on Xera's back and sent her hurtling towards the ground. He quickly generated his two blades and followed her decent.

Keeping her head Xera managed to flip around and land on her feet, immediately propelling herself into the air and towards the still diving Nara. Swinging both blades forward she attempted to skewer the boy but was thwarted when Nara rolled to the side and avoided the attack. Swinging her blades around she managed to sever his left hand and blade but was then forced to dodge herself as he swung at her chest with his remaining blade.

Backing off to a safe distant Nara frowned at his left appendage, watching as skin and bone flowed and condensed into the form of a hand. "Well it looks like you still have some fight left in you after all. Still that was a lucky shot. It doesn't change the fact that you've already lost."

Grabbing the sides of her head and twisting, Xera realigned her neck, felling the vertebrae refuse. At the same time the ribs that had been broken by Nara's punch reconstructed themselves and her damaged lungs healed. "I could say the same to you. Your confidence may well be your downfall."

Nara looked at her solemnly. "Confidence is only a weakness when it is unfounded." He paused for a moment in thought. "Just like loyalty."

(Seele Conference Room)

The stone obelisks were in the middle of an argument.

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "We can't do that. It would ruin all our plans."

The obelisk marked 04 glowed brighter. "What over choice do we have, Unit-01 is destroying the Angel army."

The obelisk marked 07 glowed brighter. "But it can't be controlled. We should wait. Xera may still be able to succeed where the army has failed."

The obelisk marked 02 glowed brighter. "And while we wait Nerv gets closer and closer to victory. We need to finish this now."

The obelisk marked 09 glowed brighter. "That project was deemed a failure for a reason. We'd be better off to leave things as they are. How could releasing that monster possible further our goal?"

The obelisk marked 04 glowed brighter again. "It will destroy Nerv and rid us of Gendo's treachery forever."

The obelisk marked 12 glowed brighter. "I agree. It could end the Nerv threat once and for all."

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "And what then? It can't be controlled as the others. The process failed remember. When it finishes with Nerv what then? Do we just leave it to rampage at will? Do you know how much damage that thing could do to us?"

The obelisk marked 02 glowed brighter. "That is a risk we are going to have to take."

Before any of those opposed to the move could respond the obelisk marked 01 glowed brighter. "Silence all of you. Ultimately this is my decision to make." There was a long pause. "Deploy the Last Angel."

(Seele Command Satellite, Tokyo-3 Geo-Synchronistic Orbit)

A massive satellite floated in space directly above Tokyo-3, beaming down a constant string of mental commands to the Angels below. Its base was covered in antennas and transmission dishes. Its body was a mass of powerful generators, giant cables and high-tech relay stations, stuck together in what appeared to be a totally random manner. At its center was a massive hollowed out cargo hold. Designed to hold all manner of cargo the chamber currently contained one thing alone. Seele's ultimate weapon, their Last Angel.

Receiving a string of computerised commands from the surface, the base of the satellite began to open, the antennas and transmission dishes parting to reveal a massive four-part door.

When the door was completely revealed a loud series of clicks signalled the releasing of the powerful locks holding it closed. When the clicking finally stoped the door remained closed for several seconds then abruptly opened, sliding away into the satellites body. With nothing left to hold it up a massive form fell out of the cargo hold and went hurtling towards the planet's surface.

(Tokyo-3 Ruins)

Unit-01 walked among the broken bodies of the Angel army, a grim reaper marching through a field of death. Lifting its leg the Eva brought it crashing down on a random 19th Angel S2 organ, crushing the red orb underfoot.

Nearby, a larger S2 organ that once belonging to a gigantic 20th Angel was beginning to surround itself with midnight blue skin. Raising its hand, Unit-01 blasted the S2 organ into nothingness.

Unit-01 knew that few Angels had made it into the Geo-Front, just one of the 19th and a handful of the 18th. Asuka had proven herself a deadly pilot and with Touji and Kensuke backing her up they were more than capable of dealing with those Angels. All that was left now was to clean up the scraps. Noticing movement to its right, Unit-01 turned and plunged its Lancea into the chest of a partially reconstructed 18th Angel, silencing it permanently.

About to continue its search for S2 organs Unit-01 suddenly turned its eyes skyward as a dark shadow fell across it.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Misato signed in relief as Unit-14 crushed the S2 organ of the last of the 18th Angels that had entered the Geo-Front. Once again Unit-14 had suffered only minimal damage and the wounds were rapidly healing. Touji and Kensuke had mostly just teamed up against those Angels Asuka hadn't destroyed and so their Evas were also largely undamaged, the few injuries healing quickly. She noticed that Unit-14's eyes had finally stoped glowing.

Below her Maya was still typing furiously at her console, Ritsuko doing the same on her laptop. The two were trying to get visuals on both the surface and Terminal Dogma, eager to know the outcome of the battles taking place there.

Maya finally managed to connect to a satellite that was currently passing over Tokyo-3. Her look of triumph however was quickly replaced with one of dread. "Uhh, Sempai we've got a problem."

Ritsuko stopped typing on her laptop and looked over at her young assistant. "What is it Maya, I…Oh God!"

Maya's satellite feed showed another larger satellite directly below, covered in communication devices. It wasn't the satellite that worried Ritsuko however. It was the object it had just sent hurtling into the atmosphere. The object that looked remarkably like an Angel. The most horrifying Angel Ritsuko had ever seen.

Maya was typing more furiously than she ever had before. "The object has an approximate mass of five-hundred-thousand metric tons. It's on a direct course for Tokyo-3. Expected impact in thirty-two seconds." She hit a few keys and put an image of the rapidly descending object on the screen.

Misato stared in horror at the image for a second but shook herself off and raised her microphone to her lips. "Asuka, Touji, Kensuke get to coordinates five-four-seven-two right now. You have twenty seconds."

Units 16 and 17 immediately started heading for the given coordinates but Unit-14 remained where it was.

Misato continued to speak into the microphone. "Asuka? Asuka can you hear me? ASUKA!?"

"Yeah, I can hear you Misato. I'm going, stop yelling at me!" Asuka sounded a little shaken and very peeved off.

Misato watched on the view screen as Unit-14 ran after its fellow Evas towards the eastern edge of the Geo-Front, as far away as they could get from the Angel's supposed point of impact. Despite the approaching calamity, she allowed herself a brief moment to rejoice that the girl was still alive.

Maya turned from her console and looked up at the commander. "The MAGI confirm that the approaching object is an Angel sir. Impact in fifteen seconds."

Gendo nodded coolly. "Everyone prepare for impact."

(Tokyo-3 Ruins)

Unit-01 had come to the quick conclusion that staying put would not be good for its health and had deployed its wings. Taking off it angled towards the remaining mountains of the mountain range, intent on putting as much distance between itself and the falling Angel as possible.

Above it the Last Angel fell towards the ground, its shadow spreading quickly across the Tokyo-3 ruins. The Angel made no attempt to slow its decent, uncaring of the consequences of its landing. Seele had created this Angel while they constructed the Angel army but unlike them it had been deemed a failure for the simple reason that it couldn't be controlled. This Angel had only one aim, one desire, to destroy everything in its path.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Maya was counting down the time till impact. "7…6…5…4…3…2…"

One the screen the Angel got closer and closer to the ground, heading straight for the western edge of the devastated city. Everyone in the control room braced themselves against whatever was at hand and then the Last Angel hit the ground.

The colossal Angel landed with literally ground shattering force. Cracks and splinters of rock shot out to all sides of a massive and rapidly expanding crater. A nearby mountain was split in two by one of the cracks and collapsed to the ground, part of it crashing into another mountain and bringing it down as well. The already weakened ground was unable to stand up to the force of the impact and broke apart, collapsing inwards and falling into the Geo-Front.

Within the Geo-Front massive chunks of dirt and rock slammed into the ground, quickly created a massive cloud of dust that obscured the entire area from sight. The massive tremors created by the collapse sent two more mountains unceremoniously crashing to ground, only adding to the strength of the tremors.

Throughout Central Dogma corridors collapsed inwards and rooms were filled with debris when their roofs collapsed under the strain. Even those areas that remained intact were quickly spider webbed with cracks. Many Nerv employees where crushed or buried alive. The disruption to the base's power grid caused many sections to lose power completely while others suffered massive power surges.

Inside the control room a power surge caused all the view screens and lights to explode, frying all of the room's circuitry. As the room shook violently, those of its occupants still standing fell to the floor and those seated struggled to remain in their seats.

As the tremors finally wore off Misato quickly lifted herself off the ground, checking herself for any injuries. "Is everyone okay?" Several people responded in the affirmative and though she couldn't see anyone in the darkness, the distinct lack of screaming and painful moaning suggested that no-one had been seriously hurt. On the other hand they now had no way of knowing what was happening on the surface and they had lost contact with the Evas. Misato hoped the children were okay.

(The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Unit-01 floated high above the dust filled crater that had once been Tokyo-3 and the Geo-Front. The Geo-Fronts walls had mostly collapsed and large sections of land previously outside its area had collapsed down to the same level. Piles of dirt and rock had built up at the edges, pushed there by the Last Angel's crash landing.

At first all the Eva could see was dust then a tremendous wave of force blasted the dust away and sent clumps of rock, both large and small flying into the air to come crashing down well beyond the crater's edge. The effects of an AT field were unmistakable.

As Unit-01 watched, the source of the AT field unfolded itself from the rolled up position it had landed in and rose to its full height. Even Unit-01 was taken aback slightly by the sight. Standing at roughly eight-hundred meters in height the Angel was covered in scaly dark grey skin. It stood on two huge heavy-set legs that stuck out slightly from the sides of its body and ended in massive three clawed feet. Its two arms bulged with hulking muscles and reached almost to the ground, ending in hands sporting five huge razor sharp claws each. Its head was reptilian in appearance with massive jaws that stuck out from its face and contained three rows of needle-like teeth, a stunted nose just above the jaws and two eyes that were so black they seemed to suck the light out of the air itself. The Angel's body was wide and muscular and its back had a slight bend in it, making it appear hunched. A single S2 organ was visible in the very center of the Angel's chest, glowing a dull red with the energy contained within it.

The Angel raised its head and looked up at Unit-01, the corners of its mouth turning up in a cruel parody of a smile, its vacant seeming eyes narrowing slightly.

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Nara had just touched down on the chamber's floor when the entire facility began to shake even more violently than the last time and the remaining stone pillars simultaneously collapsed, one of them crashing to the ground just in front of him. Struggling to keep his footing he looked up just in time to back-flip out of the way of Xera as she attempted to skewer him with her right blade. Propelling himself into the air, Nara counterattacked with an energy beam that Xera dodged by scant inches.

Spinning around Xera planted both feet on the ground and launched herself towards Nara, bringing both her blades up into a defensive position.

As Xera rushed towards him Nara raised his right blade above his head and brought it down with an incredible amount of strength. Xera had expected this move however and stoped the attack with her own blades. Using her momentum to her advantage Xera managed to cut a deep wound in Nara's right shoulder with her left blade.

Nara immediately responded by planting the heel of his right foot in Xera's abdomen and driving her backwards enough to take another swing with his right blade. Controlling her movement, Xera managed to avoid the attack and put some distance between herself and Nara.

Noticing the wound on Nara's shoulder had already healed she fired twin energy beams at him but was disappointed when he simply flew higher and dodged them. Not giving up she fired another more powerful beam from her right hand.

This time Nara didn't try to dodge he just raised his right arm. Just as the blast was about to hit him he swung his right arm down and knocked it aside, sending it straight through the hole he had made to enter the chamber. "You're beginning to bore me."

Xera looked genuinely shocked. "How did you do that?"

Nara slowly lowered his arm to his side. "We have AT fields. We can do almost anything. It's just a matter of knowing how to manipulate it to get the desired effect. You know the basics but little else."

Xera growled. "I know enough to defeat you."

"Even you don't believe that anymore."

Xera growled a little louder. "Even if that's true, it doesn't mean I'm just going to stop trying."

Nara smiled slightly. "I'd be disappointed if you did. But before we continue tell me, what do you know of my time as Kaoru?"

Xera shrugged, secretly glad for the chance to get her strength back. "Like me you worked for Seele. They sent you here to initiate Third Impact but you failed and were defeated by Nerv."

Nara's smile slipped. "I'm afraid your information is incorrect. I was never meant to initiate Third Impact, I was meant to do exactly what I did. They told me Adam was down here but instead all I found was Lilith. It was then I realised that they had sent me here to die. They just wanted the 17th Angel out of the road. I was only a tool to them, just as you are now. You mean nothing to them, so why should they mean anything to you?"

Xera considered for a moment, the boy did make a good point. Maybe Seele was just using her but then again they had created her, didn't they therefore have a right to use her. If he was telling the truth about his own demise however then it meant they had lied to her, supporting his claim that she meant nothing to them. For some reason she believed he wasn't lying to her about Kaoru's death. She shook her head violently. So maybe she was just a tool to Seele but so what! If Nara thought the realisation would make her switch sides then he was sorely mistaken. "This doesn't change things between you and me. I'm still going to destroy you."

Nara spread his arms, holding his blades out to his side. "Then give it everything you've got. You'll still lose. Both of us have reached our maximum potential and I'm stronger than you, plain and simple."

Xera clenched her fist in anger. She wasn't going to allow herself to lose to this cocky asshole. With a shriek she launched herself towards Nara, who just smiled and brought his blades in to defend himself.

As soon as Xera reached Nara she attempted to behead him with her left blade but the boy ducked under the attack and swung at her legs with his right blade. Tucking her legs up to avoid the swing Xera stabbed downwards and managed to gouge a deep wound in Nara's left arm. Uncaring of the damage he had taken Nara spun around and delivered a round-house kick to the side of Xera's head, sending her flying. Ignoring the pain from his already regenerating limb Nara followed the girl's flight path, unsurprised when she took control of her momentum and swung around to face him.

(The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Unit-01's fused soul was worried. It had already used up most of its energy in the destruction of the Angel army. It might not have enough power left to conquer this new threat. It didn't even know how much power it was going to need to destroy this Angel. It had never seen this type of Angel before. For now the Eva chose to circle above the mysterious new threat. It took the time to study the creature, looking for a weakness.

For its part the grey skinned Angel just watched the circling Eva, its mouth still twisted in that sickening parody of a smile. It seemed completely uncaring of the damage and death it had caused. Uncaring of the fact that it had destroyed the remaining S2 organs of the Angel army. Destruction caused meant nothing. Destruction to be caused meant everything.

The Angel roared, a terrible sound that shook the earth and drove fear into the hearts of everyone who heard it. At the same time huge reptilian wings unfolded from its back and with powerful thrusts it propelled itself into the air and towards Unit-01.

(Nerv, Central Dogma)

Ritsuko walked briskly down one of the corridors of Nerv heading for the Geo-Front, or at least what was left of it. Misato and Maya followed straight behind her. The other two bridge bunnies followed at a more leisurely pace. Gendo and Fuyutsuki had chosen to remain behind.

Ritsuko wasn't sure what they were going to find when they got to their destination but she knew that they wouldn't have achieved anything by staying in the now useless control room.

Suddenly a terrifying roar echoed down the remaining corridors of Nerv, stopping Ritsuko and her companions in their tracks. It was the most horrible sound Ritsuko had ever heard and she could tell from the pained expressions on Maya and Misato's faces that they agreed with her

As the roar finally died off Ritsuko stood still for a moment then shook herself off and headed for the Geo-Front at an even faster pace than before.

(Seele Conference Room)

The obelisk marked 07 glowed brighter. "I still think this was a mistake."

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "That is unimportant now. It is already done and it cannot be undone."

The obelisk marked 04 glowed brighter. "The Last Angel will succeed in destroying Unit-01, it is only a matter of time now."

The obelisk marked 06 glowed brighter. "And what then? How do you suppose we deal with the Angel once it has destroyed Nerv?"

The obelisk marked 01 glowed brighter. "We will deal with that once Unit-01 has been destroyed. For now we will watch, perhaps a solution will reveal itself."

(The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

At the edge of a crater a pile of dirt and rock sifted and then lifted, falling away to reveal the hunched over form of Unit-14, still holding its deadly weapon. Slowly the red Eva rose to its full height, revealing a multitude of injuries covering its body. Its AT field had protected it from being crushed when the crater was formed but it had been heavily damaged when the new Angel expanded its AT field, an action which neutralised the AT field of Unit-14 and buried it under a huge pile of earth. The wounds were already being healed by the Eva's S2 organ but only slowly as the S2 organ had already been drained of much of its power.

Inside the Eva's entry plug Asuka stared in horror at the gigantic Angel before it. Watching as the Angel took to the sky, heading straight for what she was now certain was Unit-01. Asuka knew her Eva was currently too damaged to help and she wasn't sure if she would be able to link to her mother again so soon after being released. For now she could do little but watch.

Asuka decided to try and contact the control room. "Heh, Misato can you hear me?" She waited but there was no response forthcoming. "Touji, Kensuke can you guys hear me?" Again there was no response. She signed. "Great, it looks like I'm on my own." She turned back to the heaps of rock and dirt behind her. There was something she could do. The bakas had to be in there somewhere. Unit-14 threw its weapon aside and began to dig away at the heaps, searching for Units 16 and 17.

(Elsewhere, The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

The Last Angel quickly closed in on Unit-01, its powerful wings propelling it at an incredible speed for its size.

Flying higher, Unit-01 held out its right hand and fired a huge energy beam that completely engulfed the Angel's head. The next moment however the beam dissipated and the Angel was revealed to have suffered no damage, protected by the awesome power of its AT field.

The Angel's left hand reached up and attempted to snatch the purple Eva out of the air but missed as the Eva flew just above its reach. Opening its mouth the Angel fired a massive bright red energy beam that engulfed Unit-01 whole. The light from the beam quickly spread until everything was bathed in an eerie red glow. The Angel finally stoped its ascent.

For almost a minute the power continued to flow from the Angel's mouth, the beam blasting through the atmosphere and continuing on into the emptiness of space. Eventually though the glow began to recede and the Angel's jaws finally slammed shut, cutting off the flow of power.

As the beam dissipated the form of Unit-01 was slowly revealed. Its arms were crossed in front of it, the black double-ended Lancea still held in its right hand. Its head was bowed, half hidden behind the arms. The beam had done an incredible amount of damage to the Eva, its AT field offering little resistance to the attack. Almost all the armour from its arms and legs had been destroyed, revealing the darkened skin that lay beneath. Many armour parts from its chest and back were also missing and its shoulder baffles had been sheered off. The armour on its head protected in part as it was by the Eva's arms was still mostly intact, though its horn had been incinerated. Those armour components remaining were now blackened and twisted as a result of the attack, regardless of where on the body they were attached. The Eva's body itself was heavily damaged, with burns all over its body and numerous bleeding wounds spilling blood down its form. Its glowing energy wings still sprouted from its back and strangely its Lancea appeared undamaged.

Ignoring the wounds it had suffered Unit-01 launched itself forward, focusing its AT field around the Lancea. As the Eva rapidly closed in on the much larger Angel one end of the Lancea disappeared and the other extended to more than twice its usual length. The Eva's many wounds began to rapidly heal, though its armour remained as it was.

The Angel raised its right arm and took a swing at the approaching Eva but missed when the Eva barrel-rolled to the left. As the Eva continued on towards its target, the Angel focused its AT field around its body and blasted outwards.

Unit-01 had almost reached the Angel's chest when it was hit head on by the Angel's AT field. Bringing its own AT field up, the Eva managed to hold the Angel's attack at bay for a handful of seconds but was then forced to retreat as the Angel's left hand began to close in on it.

Retreating to a relatively safe distant, Unit-01 condensed its own AT field to create a layer of protection around its body. It established the layer against its skin and with a slight expansion of its AT field sent all its remaining armour plates falling to the ground. Its cranial armour now removed Unit-01's bulbous green eyes opened and focused on the enemy Angel.

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Nara was about to launch himself towards Xera when his link to Shinji and Rei suddenly exploded in pain. Groaning he clutched the sides of his head. A mental image of some sort of red energy beam flooded his consciousness. Then another image, an image of a truly gigantic Angel flying towards Unit-01. What the hell was that thing!? And how had it managed to hurt Shinji and Rei?

Nara didn't have time to dwell on the situation as he looked up to see Xera rapidly diving towards him, swinging her left blade in an overhead arc. Nara just managed to raise his own left blade to deflect the attack and was then caught off guard as Xera fired an energy beam from her right palm that blasted off half his right arm and his right wingtip.

Growling Nara stabbed Xera between the eyes with his left blade and then kicked her solidly with both feet, knocking her off the blade and sending her hurtling towards the ground. Owing to the disorientation caused by having her brain split in two Xera failed to right herself and crashed into the ground, throwing up a large cloud of dust in the process.

Temporarily closing his link to Shinji and Rei, Nara lowered himself to the ground. He landed in front of Xera, who was slowly rising to her feet and visible shaking. The hole in her head quickly healed over, though notable not as fast as it would have when the battle started. Nara inspected his already regenerated right arm, knowing he had far more power left than Xera. "I can't play with you forever, so why don't you just give up before I'm forced to destroy you?"

Xera gave him a hate filled glare. Unfortunately she knew he was telling the truth. He had been playing with her for quite some time now. There had been several occasions when she knew he had a perfect chance to destroy her S2 organ but had instead held back. On one occasion he had actually placed his hand at the base of her rib cage and charged up a blast but then had simply kicked her in the side of the head instead of firing, sending her slamming into a nearby wall. "If you're going to kill me then just do it. I'll never surrender to you."

Nara's returning gaze was serious, betraying no emotion. "First I want to show you how naïve you really are." He floated into the air, a few meters above the ground. "Tell me, do you know what a Sea of Dirac is?"

Xera was too tired to attempt another attack on Nara so she decided she might as well she where this was going. "That was what Leliel created wasn't it?"

Nara nodded slightly. "Correct, Leliel did create a Sea of Dirac though there have been others. A Sea of Dirac is essentially a gateway into another dimension and that entire dimension can often be contained within the gate itself, as it was with Leliel. These gates are never permanent, they're usually only open for a few seconds but within this time they'll swallow anything they come into contact with. What happens to the dimension once the gate closers depends entirely on the gate's origin and how it was closed. In the case of Leliel Unit-01 ripped the very fabric of the dimension apart in its escape, meaning that dimension is gone forever."

Xera was beginning to lose her patience, despite the fact she knew she was outmatched she was considering attacking once again. "As fascinating as this is, I fail to see what it could possible have to do with our current situation. I don't see any Seas of Dirac around here, do you?"

Nara slowly pointed his arms palm first at the ground, several meters in front of Xera's position. "It has to do with our current situation because some of these dimensions don't disappear when the gate does and can therefore be accessed by someone who knows how. Someone like me." He inverted a part of his AT field and melded it with the chamber's floor.

The floor of the chamber rapidly turned black, beginning where Nara had originally aimed and spreading out in an ever-expanding circle. The stones and pieces of metal littering the chamber's floor where quickly absorbed into the foreboding abyss.

Just as the circle was about to reach Xera's feet she took off, flying up to the same height as Nara. "A Sea of Dirac. Let me guess, you're going to try to trap me in it."

Keeping his palms aimed at the ground, Nara slowly shook his head. "No, I don't intend to put anything in. I intend to take things out."

(The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Asuka had finally found Units 16 and 17. They didn't appear to be too badly damaged but unfortunately it appeared that Touji and Kensuke had been knocked out cold as they still weren't responding to her messages and their Evas weren't moving. She knew they weren't dead, that was the one reading she could get from their Evas. She shifted the last few rocks off the motionless Evas. "Bakas, I could have used your help." Secretly she was glad the two stooges were alive. Signing she turned and looked up as the red glow that had been covering everything finally disappeared.

In the sky above a very badly damaged Eva was revealed as the beam dissipated, barely recognisable as Unit-01. Asuka watched as the Eva launched itself towards the Angel. Someone had to be piloting that thing. Maybe one of her supposedly dead friends was still alive. Asuka intended to find out what was going on. For now though she would watch and wait.

(Elsewhere, The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Misato had finally made it to Geo-Front, what was left of it that was. Ritsuko and the three bridge bunnies were with her. In the end they had been forced to crawl through a service tunnel as it was the only exit that hadn't either caved in or been blocked off by dirt and rocks.

The first thing she saw was Unit-14, the Eva was just standing still with its head tilted back and its gaze on the sky. Following the Eva's line of sight Misato looked up. "Oh Bullshit! There's no way anything could be that big!"

Maya immediately took out her laptop and began trying to establish a link to Unit-14. It didn't take her long to begin getting readings on the still notable damaged Eva. Unit-14's S2 organ had apparently been damaged. The damage wasn't serious so the Eva was still operational but until the damage was repaired it wouldn't be able to operate at full capacity and the S2 organ was unfortunately unable to repair itself. Asuka life signs were steady and her sync ratio was at 100.

Finally Maya managed to get an audio link to Unit-14 and handed Misato the mike. Misato replaced the now useless mike on her collar with the new one and brought it to her mouth. "Asuka can you hear me?"

The response from the red-headed teen was immediate. "Misato, where the hell have you been!?"

"Sorry Asuka, things were shaken up a little when that Angel hit the ground."

"Tell me about it. At least you were inside, I got buried out here."

"What about Touji and Kensuke?"

"They're out cold. I had to dig up their Evas. Where are you anyway?"

"Look down and too your right."

Unit-14's head slowly lowered and turned, its eyes finally coming to rest on Misato and the others. "What are you doing out here?"

Misato signed. "That's not important right now Asuka. Do you think you can fight?"

"Yeah, I can fight but I don't know what good I can do." There was a slight pause. "Misato, what's going on here?"

"I don't know Asuka." Misato's expression sharpened. "But I intend to find out as soon as this is finished."

(Elsewhere, The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Barely avoiding a swing from the Last Angel's right arm, Unit-01 swung its black Lancea at the extended appendage. The Lancea struck and penetrated, leaving a huge wound just below the Angel's hand. However the moment after the weapon was pulled free the wound healed, appearing as if it had never been made.

Continuing through, Unit-01 pierced the Angel's shoulder with the Lancea. The Eva twisted as it pulled the weapon free, leaving behind what appeared to be a very serious and painful wound.

The Angel took another swing at the unarmoured Eva with its left hand. As usual Unit-01 flew higher to avoid the attack but this time it didn't move fast enough. The Angel's hand collided with Unit-01's legs and abdomen, sending the Eva racing towards the ground.

The Eva smashed into a mountain that was coincidentally the only mountain in the area left standing. Unit-01 went straight through the mountain's side, leaving a large hole at its point of impact. A dust cloud bellowed out of the hole and then the entire mountain collapsed inwards, becoming little more than a jagged pile of rubble.

The dust had only just begun to clear when the top of the rubble pile exploded outwards and Unit-01 rocketed out. It headed straight for the colossal form of the Last Angel, the black Lancea still held firmly in its hands. The AT field concentrated around the Eva's body had prevented it from suffering an exorbitant amount of damage but small injuries still littered its form.

The Angel didn't seem bothered by the Eva's approach. The wound in its shoulder had long since healed, as it was once again completely undamaged. It began to concentrate its AT field and reached forward with both arms.

This time Unit-01 dived down low, flying under both of the Angel's arms and heading straight for its exposed abdomen. It managed to stab the black Lancea into the Angel but was then forced to relinquish the weapon as the Angel's AT field snapped into place and blasted the Eva backwards.

Unit-01 used the momentum from the attack to put itself beyond the Angel's reach. The Angel was still keeping itself in the air with its wings but was content to stay where it was. It enjoyed the Eva's futile attempts to damage it.

Unit-01 growled loudly as it floated in front of the Angel, angry at its inability to cause any permanent damage to the monstrosity. The growling grew in intensity as the Eva's body began to mutate. The skin on its forearms bulged and then split as scythe blades emerged on either arm. All over its body small spikes and blades emerged, the largest being on its back and arms. Its arms stretched down to its knees and its fingers mutated until they resembled claws. Unit-01's S2 organ pushed through its skin, half emerging from the Eva's chest. The Eva's green eyes began to darken and change colour, eventually becoming a dark foreboding red.

Lifting its right arm, Unit-01 made a sort of beckoning gesture. Instantly the black Lance tore free of the Angel's body and shot back into the Eva's waiting hand.

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Xera watched with a slight hint of wariness as what appeared to be a random assortment of buildings began to rise from the black shadow that covered the floor. To her right the top of a hanger rose out of the black shadow. Behind her a large satellite dish broke the surface followed by the top of a tall, thin tower. Across the entire chamber similar buildings were rising out of the Sea of Dirac along with trucks, cars and VTOLs. Everything, buildings and vehicles alike bared the unmistakable mark of Nerv.

Xera continued to watch warily as Nara slowly floated down to the ground. When his feet touched the shadow he didn't begin to sink into it as Xera had expected, instead his feet touched something solid.

Nara looked up at the girl, his fast completely calm. "Not long after the death of Leliel and shortly before the appearance of Bardiel the second branch of Nerv disappeared into a Sea of Dirac. The gateway closed but it wasn't sealed. Which allowed me to reopen it."

Xera wasn't sure what to make of this most recent discovery. "So you opened the gateway, giving you access to some random buildings and vehicles. I don't see how this is going to help you."

Nara smiled at her, a frightening smile. "Because buildings and vehicles weren't the only things that disappeared that day. They weren't the reason the Sea of Dirac occurred."

Before Xera could question him further he suddenly began to rise up from the ground. He wasn't floating this time though. He was being lifted into the air by the object he stood on, which was slowly rising from the Sea of Dirac. A being of monolithic proportions rose from the shadow. Rising steadily and majestically, it lifted Nara high into the air. First the head broke the surface, then the chest, then the abdomen, waist, thighs, calves and finally the feet emerged and came to a stop resting on top of the shadow. As soon as the feet were clear the shadow began to recede, reabsorbing the buildings and vehicles that had emerged and shrinking back to its point of origin before finally disappearing altogether. The whole process had taken only a handful of seconds.

From his raised position Nara looked down at Xera and continued to smile. "Behold Unit-04, the lost Eva. This Eva was an experimental prototype, the first attempt at integrating an S2 organ into an Eva. They managed to successfully integrate the S2 organ but there was an unexpected side effect. Somehow Unit-04 generated a Sea of Dirac and the entire second branch of Nerv disappeared."

Xera didn't respond for a moment, taking the time to study Unit-04. The Eva was almost entirely covered in silver armour, with black as its secondary colour. It clearly hadn't been fully completed when it disappeared. The Eva's left arm reached just below the shoulder and then just stoped, what appeared to be a temporary silver armour plate covering the end of the stunted limb. The entire left half of the Eva's chest armour was missing, revealing the disturbingly human skin beneath. In the center of the Eva's abdomen the armour was missing and the skin had been pulled to the sides, revealing Unit-04's experimental S2 organ which had cleared been installed moments before the accident. The Eva's right eye was covered with a glassy red eye piece but the left eye piece was missing, revealing the yellowy orange eye that lay beneath. Usually the Eva's silver jaws would have been bolted shut but it appeared that the Nerv technicians at the second branch had not done this at the time of the accident. The jaws instead hung open, revealing the teeth and bloody gums that lay inside. Several wire plug-ins emerged from the Eva's right arm, shoulders and back, the wires ending abruptly close to where they entered the Eva's body. Nara stood on top of the Eva's head.

Xera finally met Nara's eyes. "You should know that no Eva is a match for me. Especially one that is incomplete." She tried and failed to inject a high degree of confidence into her voice. She was sure the boy had more in mind than simply sicking the one armed Eva on her.

Nara didn't respond, he just continued to smile. Slowly Unit-04's right arm rose up and began to reach for Xera. Xera was simply going to move but then to her dismay found that she couldn't. She couldn't move a muscle and her arms were suddenly glued to her side.

Nara's smile finally disappeared, to be replaced with a more serious expression. "You'll find that you're wrapped up in my AT field and that your own has been neutralised." Unit-04's fist closed around Xera's body, leaving only her head sticking out of the top. "So right now you're at the mercy of this 'incomplete' Eva."

(The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

For the second time the Last Angel opened its mouth and fired a huge, red energy beam. This time however it failed to hit its nimble opponent as the now heavily mutated Eva dived below the beam. Unconcerned with the miss, the Angel cut of the flow of energy and allowed the beam to dissipate.

Unit-01 rammed its Lancea into the Angel's left hand and used its two scythe blades to gouge out deep wounds next to the puncture. Avoiding a retaliatory swing from the Angel's right arm, the Eva ripped the Lancea out and swung it around to cut deep into its opponent's right wrist, very nearly severing the Angel's hand.

Once again the Angel expanded its AT field to stop Unit-01 in its tracks but this time it brought both hands in and managed to catch the Eva between them just as it was being blown back.

Unit-01 roared as the Angel's hands closed around it, the razor sharp claws cutting deep into its exposed back and causing its energy wings to dissipate. It felt the increasing amount of pressure as the Angel tried to crush inwards, its AT field beginning to weaken.

The Angel's face contorted into a sickening grin as it felt the Eva began to weaken. It looked forward to the feeling of the now powerless enemy being crushed between its hands, the feeling of a life taken. Once the Eva was dead it could move on to the rest of its enemies. Everything that lived was an enemy. Everything that lived had to be destroyed.

Just as it seemed Unit-01 was about to be crushed a red blur came out of nowhere and embedded itself in the Angel's left eye. Roaring, the Angel released Unit-01 and reached for the Longinus spear that had punctured its eye.

(Elsewhere, Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Asuka grinned as she watched the Last Angel release the now unrecognisable Unit-01 and reach for the Longinus spear, roaring in pain. "You liked that huh. Well there's more where that came from." She hefted Touji's Longinus spear, preparing to throw it as she had Kensuke's.

Misato's voice came over the intercom. "Good shot Asuka! With its arms moved, you have a clear shot at its S2 organ. Go for it!"

Asuka smiled menacingly. "You read my mind." Unit-14 raised the spear to shoulder height, took three running steps forward and then hurled the weapon with all its strength. "Take this!" The spear streaked into the sky, zeroing in on the Angel's massive S2 organ.

Unfortunately the Angel pulled the Longinus spear from its eye just in time and noticed the second spear approaching. It didn't have time to intercept the onrushing spear with its arms but it did have time to concentrate and blast out with its AT field. The Longinus spear hit the AT field head on. At first it kept coming, seemingly unaffected by the Angel's attack. It had almost reached the Angel's chest when it suddenly cracked, moments later shattering into several pieces. The Angel clenched its left fist and ground the other spear into dust. The remnants of both spears fell to the ground.

Asuka growled. "I guess I'll have to go for plan B." Unit-14 picked up its progressive battle axe, deployed its wings and took to the sky, heading straight for the enemy Angel.

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Nara was standing on Unit-04's right wrist and looking down at Xera. "It's odd you know. This is the exact same position that Tabris found himself in. Do you see now how completely outmatched you are?"

Xera was barely able to move, restrained as she was by Unit-04's fist. She was no longer wrapped up in Nara's AT field but her own was still neutralised. She tilted her head back and glared up at Nara. "Finish it already. I told you before I don't want to play your games."

Nara squatted so he was more on Xera's height and grabbed her chin roughly with his right hand, forcing her to maintain eye contact with him. "Wether or not you want to play is a mute point. You're in no position to argue." He grip on her chin tightened to the point where he actually drew blood. "Answer my questions and I may just allow you to live. Now, where are Seele?" He released her chin so she could respond.

Xera continued to glare at him for a moment and then she suddenly lowered her head and began to laugh, like there was actually something funny about her current predicament. "So that's what you want. You want me to tell you where to find the members of Seele. Why? So you can kill them? Eliminate them for Nerv? You say I am a tool and yet you allow yourself to be used by Nerv. You're as much a tool as I am. Kill Seele and nothing will change. You'll still be a puppet. You'll still…"

"No!!"

Xera looked back up and for the first time saw what Nara looked like when he was angry. The boy's face was twisted in rage and his eyes appeared to be glowing slightly. She was taken aback by the anger in the boy's voice. "No?"

"I'm not a puppet of Nerv! I'm not a puppet of anyone!" Nara gritted his teeth as he spoke, his anger evident in every word. "I will not destroy Seele for Nerv or anyone else. Seele will die but only because I want them too." He clenched both fists. "I will annihilate them for what they have done to me!"

Xera had to force herself to maintain eye contact. "What they've done to you?"

Nara growled slightly. "Fifteen times I have died. Fifteen deaths! All of them caused by Seele."

Xera frowned slightly. "What are you talking about? The Angel's were destroyed by Nerv."

Nara reached out and grabbed her chin again, reopening the already healed wounds with the pressure of his grip. "Seele are the masterminds. It was them who found and tortured Lilith! It was them who captured Adam! I wanted to free my captured brethren and I wanted to punish the Lilim for what they had done!" He calmed himself with visible effort. "But I was wrong. I couldn't blame all Lilim for the actions of a few." The anger and rage returned to his face. "Seele knew I would come, they knew I would die! It was all part of their plan! And for that and no other reason, I WILL ANNHILATE THEM ALL!!"

Xera gulped. "Whatever your motives, it doesn't matter. I still won't tell you anything." She was appalled to hear fear in her voice.

Nara just looked at her blankly for awhile then nodded slightly, almost as if he was nodding to himself. Unit-04's fist loosened slightly then released her, the arm returning to the Eva's side.

Xera was surprised to be released and allowed her surprise to distract her. In a flash Nara was in front of her and before Xera could react he rammed his open hand into her chest. Nara's fingers dug into her skin and pushed deep into her chest. The hand broke through the skin, quickly being covered in spurting blood. Before Xera could react, Nara seized the protrusion at the base of her rib cage and crushed inwards, seizing her S2 organ in his hand.

Xera screamed as Nara let a pulse of energy travel through her S2 organ. Before the scream had died off he fired another pulse into the orb, causing her entire body to convulse in pain. He repeated the process three more times, causing Xera more pain with each successive pulse.

Nara's face was still blank, no trace of his earlier anger remaining. "Tell me where Seele are."

"Make me." Xera struggled just to form the words.

Nara suddenly smiled, something that scared Xera more than the rage she had seen before. "If you wish." He fired another pulse and tightened his grip on her S2 organ, causing Xera to scream in pain. That wasn't all however. Xera continued to scream as she felt some sort of force push and worm its way into the very foundation of her being. Something that penetrated deep into her soul. It felt as if every fibre of her being was being befouled by some unwanted presence that spread throughout her body. When it finally stoped she felt strange, it felt like there was some kind of presence nagging at the back of her consciousness.

Nara continued to smile at her. "We are linked now, you and I. At the very cores of our being. It's not unlike the link I have with Shinji and Rei, but this one is a little more powerful and a little more…selective."

"What do you mean?" Once again Xera struggled to form the words.

Nara's expression became serious. "You'll find you can't really sense anything along the link, you just know it's there. I on the other hand can sense your emotions and your thoughts. I can reach into your mind and take whatever information I wish."

Xera was about to respond when she felt the link come to life. She closed her eyes and screamed as a string of images flashed through her mind. Images from her memories flashed by in their hundreds, as Nara read her mind at will.

When it finally stoped Nara smiled slightly. "That will have to do for now." With a single, savage yank he tore out Xera's S2 organ and allowed her now useless body to fall to the floor.

(The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Taking advantage of the Last Angel's preoccupation with the Longinus spears, Unit-01 landed on the Angel's head. The Eva's Lancea came swinging around and bit deep into the Angel's cranium. Pushing deeper, the Eva drove almost two-thirds of the Lancea's length into the Angel's head. The grey Angel let out a tremendous roar of pain and reached for its head, attempting to swat the attacking Eva.

Unit-01 saw the attack coming and took to the sky, ripping the black Lancea from the Angel's skull in the process. Barely avoiding the Angel's hands, the mutated Eva raised both arms. Instantly its scythe blades detached and launched towards the Angel, embedding themselves in the creature's hands. As soon as the blades detached Unit-01's regenerative abilities kicked in and the missing blades were replaced with identical replicas.

Ignoring the scythe blades now half-buried in its hands the Angel flew higher and attempted to swat Unit-01 from the sky. Its right hand missed but its left caught and curled around the Eva, beginning to crush inwards as soon as the now hapless Eva was secured.

Just as Unit-01's concentrated AT field was about to collapse a dark spinning object whizzed through the air and cut straight through the Angel's left wrist, completely separating its hand from its arm. As the Angel's arm withdrew, a red Eva shot throw the gap created and went after the spinning weapon.

Unit-01 spread its AT field and lashed out with its blades, tearing apart the severed hand and sending the remnants falling to the ground.

At first the Angel's face twisted in pain but then it smiled. The skin on its severed wrist bulged and then ruptured, erupting into the form of an entirely new left hand. It opened its mouth and began to generate another energy beam, concentrating a large portion of its AT field into the attack. Its S2 organ began to glow brighter.

Above both the Unit-01 and the Angel Unit-14 finally caught up to the wayward progressive battle axe, miraculously managing to snatch the weapon out of the air without severing its own arm. Spinning around in mid-air, Unit-14 looked down at the Angel. Inside the cockpit, Asuka smiled. "Heads up." Spinning its massive weapon in a circle, Unit-14 hurled it at the Angel.

Noticing the Angel's mouth open in preparation for another beam attack, Unit-01 raised both of its arms and fired energy beams of its own which zeroed in on the Angel's chest. The beams encountered and tore through the behemoth's weakened AT field, blasting twin holes straight through its body and emerging on the other side.

The Angel didn't seem overly fazed by the damage it had suffered and continued to charge up its attack. Its mouth opened to its maximum width and a red beam of energy shot out, this one significantly larger and more powerful than the previous two beams it had fired. The beam engulfed Unit-01, the Eva disappearing completely into the terrible flow of energy.

Then, just as it seemed Unit-01's AT field was ready to give out Unit-14's progressive battle axe struck the Angel's back. With the Angel's attention and AT field focused on the beam and Unit-01 the deadly weapon encountered little resistance and tore straight through the Angel's body. It ploughed into the Angel's still glowing S2 organ and ripped through it, emerging from the other side and continuing on towards the city below.

The energy beam that had engulfed Unit-01 faded and disappeared, the flow of energy stoped at its source. The Eva's body had been badly scared and burnt from the attack, its skin blackened and bleeding. Many of the blades and spikes that littered its body had disappeared and the black Lancea was warped and twisted. Almost instantly however, the Eva's wounds began to heal. Even the black Lancea began to glow and return to its undamaged state.

The dead Angel remained frozen in the position it had died for a brief moment, then it slowly began to fall towards the ground, gaining speed as it was inexorable pulled down by the force of gravity. Eventually the titanic Angel came crashing to the ground, half-burying itself in the rubble created by its initial impact. The Last Angel had been defeated. Seele had lost.

(Seele Conference Room)

The obelisk marked 02 glowed brighter. "No, how is this possible. The Last Angel has been defeated!"

The obelisk marked 05 glowed brighter. "What now? We have failed to destroy Nerv."

The obelisk marked 08 glowed brighter. "It is clear now that Xera has failed in her mission. There is nothing left that we can do."

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "Are you suggesting we simply give up? You know as well as I do that that has never been a valid option for us."

The obelisk marked 01 glowed brighter. "We will not give up. We will conduct a new plan, a new way to achieve our goals. We 'cannot' fail!"

The obelisk marked 02 glowed brighter. "And if we do?"

There was a pause, then. "We won't."

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Nara floated in the center of the cavernous chamber. His attention focused on the S2 organ still clutched in his hand. He appeared to be in a trance like state, his stare steady and unwavering. Unit-04 still stood behind him, the pupil of its left eye fixed on the powerful teen.

Nara finally ceased his silent study and looked up at the overbearing form of the silver Eva. He floated up until he was in front of its face. "You are to remain here Unit-04. Return to your dormant state until I command you to awaken." He had already formed a link with the Eva so it could not deny him. Its shoulders slumped slightly as its covered right eye dimmed and its exposed left eye closed.

Nara closed his fingers around Xera's S2 organ. "It is time to finish Seele." He took off towards the shaft leading to Central Dogma and headed for the surface. As he flew higher he noticed the incredible amount of damage that had been dealt to Nerv. "It looks like things got pretty rough up here." He reopened his link to Shinji and Rei. "But it seems it's over now. I guess I missed all the fun." He laughed slightly and began to concentrate his AT field.

(The Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Misato watched as Unit-14 landed on a nearby boulder, the Eva perching on the giant rock as its wings retracted into its wing backpack. Further away, the mutated Eva that Misato believed had once been Unit-01 landed on a huge pile of rubble.

Misato brought her microphone to her lips. "Are you okay Asuka?"

Unit-14's head turned until its eyes were looking in Misato's direction. "Yeah, I'm fine Misato. Did I get it?"

Misato smiled. "Yeah, you got it Asuka."

Misato was about to say something further when the ground in front of her ruptured and exploded outwards as a glowing black cross-flare erupted from the ground. Misato was forced to shield her eyes from the light.

When Misato did uncover her eyes, she started so badly she almost fell over. Floating right in front of her, looking straight into her eyes, was Nara. But this wasn't Nara as she knew him. He had changed just like Shinji had.

Nara smiled slightly. "Hello Major. Surprised to see me?"

Misato blinked several times before responding. "You're…you're supposed to be…be dead."

Nara just smiled at her again and turned to Ritsuko. "I'm going to deal with the members of Seele. They've interfered long enough." He didn't wait for any response, glancing briefly at Unit-01 he flew higher into the sky and then took of to the north. He flew at incredible speeds, quickly disappearing from sight.

Misato continued to stand still long after the boy had disappeared. Eventually she shook herself off and looked over at Ritsuko. "Would you mind explaining what just happened?"

Ritsuko signed. "I'm sorry Misato but you'll have to take that up with the commander."

Misato grunted. "Then that's exactly what I'll do."

(Elsewhere, Crater Formerly Known As Tokyo-3)

Unit-01 watched Nara as he disappeared from sight, its enhanced sight keeping track of the boy long after he had seemingly vanished from sight. It could sense Nara's emotions, a mixture of confidence and determination. The parts of its soul that were Shinji and Rei felt apprehension at Nara's leaving but at the same time they felt sure he would return.

The still heavily mutated Eva bent over as the center of its back bulged outwards, eventually splitting open between two particularly large spikes to reveal the Eva's entry plug. The entry plug slowly slid out of the Eva's back and hissed, spitting LCL as its lid slid open. Slowly both Shinji and Rei stood up within the plug, restored to their own bodies.

Rei looked over her shoulder at Shinji. "What now Shin-chan?"

Shinji wrapped his arms around the girl. "Now Rei-chan, we wait."

* * *

End Notes: I hoped you liked this chapter. The battles originally weren't supposed to take so long but I got a little carried away. As a consequence, a large portion of this chapter has been pushed back into the next chapter, which won't be up anytime soon. It will contain more character development etc. As always, please review, unless you intend to flame me. 


	7. Power Struggles

Disclaimer: I lay no claim to owning Neon Genesis Evangelion or anything officially associated with it.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay with the release of this chapter. I had meant to get it out earlier but things didn't go to plan. Despite my best attempts this chapter has ended up being even longer than Chapter 6 but hopefully it's all good stuff.

* * *

**7. Power Struggles**

(Midnight, Somewhere In China)

A large Chinese manor house stood on top of a tall hill. Almost all of the building's lights were on and a variety of tables and chairs surrounded it, illuminated by lanterns and light posts. Many men and woman were either sitting in the chairs or wandering around between the tables, talking and laughing as well as eating from a variety of exotic dishes.

The hill the manor stood on was surrounded by a huge stone fence with a sturdy iron gate across the stone driveway. Two large bodyguards dressed in black guarded the gate, pistols barely concealed at their belts.

One of the guards stepped forward as a teenage boy bedecked in loose black clothing stepped up to the gates, his head bowed. The guard placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You need an invitation to get in here."

The boy looked up and the guard was startled when the light from a nearby lantern reflected off red eyes. "What the he…" He stoped talking and made a strange gurgling noise before going still. A dark, glowing blade extended from his back, blood dripping from its tip.

The other guard swore and drew his pistol but before he could fire the boy's left arm shot out and grabbed his throat, lifting him into the air. The guard struggled to pry the boy's fingers from his neck as his eyes bulged and a gasping sound escaped from his mouth. His feet kicked uselessly for a moment then went still as the last of his breath escaped from his lips. The boy released the man's throat and his body crumpled to ground.

Stepping forward the boy walked resolutely towards the gates. Before he had even reached them they suddenly blew off their hinges and came crashing to the ground. On the hilltop several people turned towards the noise.

One man pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Dressed in a suit he appeared to be some type of Chinese business man. He looked towards the gate and saw the boy approaching. At first he was going to order some nearby bodyguards to apprehend the boy but then he saw wings extend from the boy's back. His eyes widened in terror and he turned to run. He hadn't gotten two steps however before he was unceremoniously thrown to the floor, the air being knocked out of him.

The man rolled over and looked up, seeing the winged boy standing over him. "What…what do you want?"

The boy smiled and raised his right arm, as well as the long black blade that sprouted from its wrist. "I want Seele to die. You are Seele 09 so you must die." He rammed the blade through the man's chest. The man gurgled as blood flowed from his mouth and then went silent, his life blood flowing away along the ground.

As screaming and yelling filled the night air the boy spread his wings wide and took to the sky, quickly disappearing into the night.

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo sat behind his desk, with Fuyutsuki standing to his left and Ritsuko standing in front of the desk, a very familiar scene. Gendo's office had managed to survive the destruction caused by the Last Angel's impact the previous day but the walls still sported several dangerous looking cracks as well as being spider webbed with smaller, less serious cracks.

Gendo crossed his hands in front of his face. "Have you completed your report doctor?"

Ritsuko nodded quickly. "Yes sir." She consulted her notepad. "The Angel Army was completely destroyed, along with the Angel dropped by Seele's satellite. A follow up attack by the JSSDF destroyed the satellite but unfortunately the signal it was receiving was untraceable. I was unable to determine exactly what happened in Terminal Dogma but it seems that a battle took place there between Nara and the girl known as Xera. Apparently the battle was won by Nara. Central Dogma requires considerable repairs and preliminary repairs will be necessary for continued efficiency. Fortunately Terminal Dogma has remained largely intact."

Gendo's expression was sternly serious. "And what about the Evas?"

Ritsuko flipped the page on her notepad. "Units 16 and 17 have completely repaired themselves and their S2 organs have replenished their energy reserves. Their pilots have regained consciousness. The damaged section of Unit-14's S2 organ has been reconstructed and its body has completely healed."

"And the Eva found in Terminal Dogma?"

Ritsuko flipped another page on her notepad. "We've confirmed that it's definitely Unit-04. As for how it got there, I have no idea. My only hypothesis at the moment is that Nara somehow managed to open a Sea of Dirac and release Unit-04. Unfortunately we have been unable to get any response from it. Rei said that Nara has essentially locked it, meaning that it will respond only to his commands. It will therefore be difficult to move it from its current location but we will begin completing it as soon as possible."

Gendo nodded coolly. "And the others."

Ritsuko flipped another page on her notepad. "Repairs are almost complete and we'll soon have finished the replacement S2 organs. Unit-18 should be operational within the next few days and the others won't take much longer. I've already made the specified alterations."

"Have we received a reply from the UN?"

Ritsuko pulled a thin sheet of paper from the back of her notepad and placed it in on the notepad's front. "Yes sir. They claim that they do not know how Seele received funding for the construction of the engineered Angels."

Gendo raised an eyebrow. "And Seele's Evas?"

Ritsuko frowned slightly. "Apparently they didn't believe it was safe to have all the world's Evas controlled by one man."

Gendo scowled. "Hopefully they've learned from their mistakes."

"It would seem that they have sir. They've authorised funding for Units 20 and 21. They're to be constructed in Germany and America respectively." There was a slight pause. "Sir, why do we need so many Evas? Nara said he would deal with Seele."

Gendo smirked. "I don't intend on using them to fight. They're just part of my contingency plan. In case Shinji decides to betray me. You are dismissed doctor."

Ritsuko nodded curtly and left the room. As soon as she did so Fuyutsuki bent down to talk to the commander. "Are you really going to go through with this?"

"Only if I must."

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji and Rei stood before the broken and battered form of Xera's body. The wound in the body's chest had not healed so the ground around it was soaked in blood.

Rei knelt down and pushed her right hand into the open wound. Moments later she withdrew it, paying no attention to the fact it was now covered in blood. "Her S2 organ is gone." She turned to Shinji. "Do you think Nara destroyed it?"

Shinji shook his head slightly. "No, I think he took it with him. I'm just not sure why?"

Rei signed. "We never got a chance to ask him what was wrong with him, why he was acting so strange."

Shinji looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you remember what he said just after the two of you assumed your true forms?"

Rei nodded. "He said he remembered…that he was Tabris."

Shinji raised his right hand and pointed its palm at the dead body. "At the time I thought he was just asking if Tabris was the dominant Angel within him, but now I think it was something more important than that. He wanted to know wether he was Nara, or Tabris."

Rei pointed her own right palm at the body. "He will always be Nara."

Both teens fired energy beams that incinerated the dead body whole, leaving a small crater in the ground.

(Nerv, Central Dogma)

Misato had been given a small, dank room to sleep in. The room was located in a relatively undamaged corridor of Central Dogma, along with three other rooms that had been assigned to Asuka, Touji and Kensuke.

Misato lay on the hard bed and stared at the ceiling, a bothered expression on her face. Her apartment and everything in it had been destroyed along with Tokyo-3, but that wasn't what was bothering her. Something was definitely going on that she hadn't been told about. Something that appeared to involve Shinji, Rei, Nara and Unit-01.

All three of the children were important to her and in some ways she was just happy that they were alive. But they didn't seem to be themselves anymore. They had changed, and not just physically. They no longer seemed to be those same kids she had cared about.

She was tired of being left out of the loop. She had been lied to and had been forced to lie to others. Now she was determined to find out what was going on. For now she needed some sleep but soon she would find out, even if she had to threaten the commander with her gun to do it.

(Next Morning, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji and Rei lay on the makeshift bed they had rigged up from the sheets Ritsuko had given them. The changing of time had no effect on the light here, the same fluorescent lighting illuminated the room as had illuminated it all through the night.

Rei awoke and smiled at the feeling of Shinji's arms wrapped around her. She could sense across their link that he was already awake. "Good morning Shin-chan."

Shinji smiled as he kissed her hair. "Did you sleep well Rei-chan?"

Rei murmured something that sounded vaguely like a yes, moaning slightly as Shinji's fingers began to trace circles on the skin of her stomach. She gasped slightly at a sudden pain in her abdomen but it passed quickly.

Shinji slowly released Rei and rose to his feet. "Ritsuko said she wanted to see us as soon as we woke up." He held out a hand and helped Rei to her feet.

Rei put her arms around Shinji's neck and pulled him into a short but passionate kiss. "We better get going then."

The two teens preceded to pull on their discarded body-suits and exit the room, heading straight for the miraculously intact elevator. Upon entering the elevator Shinji pressed a button seemingly at random and the elevator took off towards the upper levels. It took them several minutes but eventually they reached the Nerv medical bay where Ritsuko was waiting patiently for their arrival.

The doctor had been waiting for almost an hour but she had had plenty to amuse her in that time. The computer in the med bay gave her access to the Nerv database and allowed her to review the files on both the Evas and the pilots.

She looked up as Rei and Shinji entered the room, her eyes focusing slightly more on Rei than on Shinji. Getting up from her seat before the computer, she walked over to the two teens. "It's about time you arrived."

Shinji just smiled slightly. "I'm sorry we're late doctor but seeing as we are don't you think we should get to the point."

Ritsuko hesitated for a moment and then walked back to the computer, motioning for Rei and Shinji to follow her. She was only mildly peeved at Shinji's comment. After all she had dealt with Asuka on a regular basis.

Reaching the computer Ritsuko pulled up a graph on the screen. It showed a jagged yet relatively straight line broken by three large peaks, resembling mountains. "This graph shows Unit-01's AT field at the moment you were first absorbed. As you can see all of your AT fields peaked and shortly after this they fused together into a single AT field." She pointed at a spot on the graph just between two of the peaks, drawing Rei and Shinji's attention to a smaller peak between the two that they hadn't noticed on first inspection. "This is what I wanted to show you. It seems to suggest there was a fourth AT field incorporated into the fusion. I didn't understand it at first but now I think I've got it. It's the only reasonable explanation." She turned to Rei. "Rei, I think you're pregnant."

(Meanwhile, Somewhere In Russia)

A man sat alone on the balcony of a cavernous mansion, looking out at his lush tropical garden. Seele 11 had a good life. The destruction caused by the Second Impact had caused little damage to his uranium mines. In fact he'd managed to profit from the disaster. As one of the richest and most influential men in the world he had been inducted into the secret organization known as Seele to help in the gathering of resources. Ever since that day his money reserves had only increased and he'd been able to play a key role in the fate of the entire world.

The man took a sip from his champagne. But that was all over now, Seele had been defeated and now he had nothing. His vast fortune drained away to pay for Seele's expenses. Even his house would soon be taken from him. Inside, all the furniture had already been removed.

He heard a flap of wings and casually turned back to the garden, wondering what type of bird it was. Instead he found himself face to face to a boy with dull grey hair and dark red eyes. He opened his mouth to talk and then froze, his eyes widening in shock.

The boy lowered himself to the garden and walked towards the mansion's side gate. Behind him Seele 11 feel from the balcony and landed spread-eagled on the ground below, blood pouring from where his stomach had been cut open.

As the grey haired teen excited the gate he was aware of a figure standing to his right. "You wish to ask me something?" He didn't turn as he spoke.

A silvery haired girl stepped out of the shadows. Like the boy she was dressed in loose black clothing. "You confuse me Nara. Why did you allow me to regenerate?"

Nara sighed. "Because Xera, of everyone in this world, you're the only one I think may actually be able to understand me."

(Nerv, Medical Bay)

Rei smiled at Ritsuko and placed her left hand on her stomach. "I know."

Ritsuko blinked in surprise. "You know…but how?"

Rei continued to smile. "I can feel it inside me."

Ritsuko nodded slowly. She'd never had a child herself so she didn't know if this was normal or a result of Rei's 'special' condition. "Rei would you please take off your suit and get on the gurney so I can give you a scan." She motioned to a rather uncomfortable looking gurney in the center of the room.

Rei complied with the request without protest. As soon as the girl was laying on the gurney, Ritsuko picked up a strange sort of stick which when activated emitted a faint beam of light. She ran the stick over Rei's abdomen several times then plugged it into the computer and waited for the results to be computed.

Behind her Shinji leaned down over Rei and kissed her softly on the lips. "I was wondering how long it would take her to find out."

Rei smiled up at him. "She has been busy with other things."

Ritsuko cleared her throat and interrupted the two, giving them a slightly annoyed look. Shinji turned to look at her and Rei lifted herself up on her elbows so she too could look at the doctor.

Ritsuko looked highly confused. "I don't understand this. According to these readings the foetus is almost seven months old but it didn't appear at all on the scan I made of you before your transformation and that was only five days ago." She motioned at Rei's flat stomach. "And another thing, the foetus is the size of a seven month old foetus and yet you're not showing any signs."

Rei smiled and swung her legs over the side of the gurney, rising to a sitting position. "The child was conceived five days ago, not long after my transformation but we knew I wouldn't have time to carry it for nine months so..." She smiled at Shinji then looked back to Ritsuko. "I accelerated its growth. It should be fully matured in just under two days." She placed a hand gently on her stomach. "As for why I'm still flat. I don't really need any of my internal organs so I simply minimised and moved some of them to make extra room."

Ritsuko blinked and then nodded slightly. "That actually makes a surprising amount of sense." She quickly reviewed in her head what Rei had said. "So you're going to give birth within the next two days?"

Rei nodded slightly. "Yes, I believe so."

Ritsuko thought the situation over quickly. "Will this be a normal birth?"

Rei shook her head slightly. "No, it will be much easier."

Ritsuko nodded, seemingly in understanding. Although in truth she didn't fully understand. "The scan seems to suggest it's a girl but some of these readings are very strange so I can't be positive."

Shinji was the one who responded. "Our child _is_ a girl, but she is also one of us. In other words, she isn't human. That's why you're getting odd readings. You'll find the readings are similar to the ones you've gotten from scanning us."

Behind Shinji, Rei pulled her black body-suit back on. "It is sad. Naoki will never get a chance to be normal." She smiled slightly as she once again placed a hand to her stomach. "But we will love her."

Ritsuko blinked. "Naoki? Is that what you plan to call her?"

Rei nodded. "Yes, that will be her name."

(Nerv, Central Dogma)

Asuka strode down one of the remaining intact corridors of Central Dogma. She had no real destination, she just needed to stretch her legs and clear her head.

No-one was telling her anything about what was going on and it was frustrating and angering the girl no end. She had been told that Unit-01 had been destroyed and yet yesterday she had seen it, of that she was sure. And then she had seen Nara, a boy she had been told by Misato was dead.

Asuka frowned as she considered Nara's 'condition'. He had hardly even looked human and before she could fully take in his presence he had departed, actually flying away. She had begun to doubt wether he was Nara at all when she saw Unit-01's entry plug eject and her other two supposedly dead friends had emerged. Rei, Shinji, Nara, all of them were supposed to be dead and yet she had seen them all well and truly alive. Changed, but alive nonetheless.

Before she had able to find out more she had been ordered to get out of her Eva and was practically dragged off to her new room in Central Dogma. By the time she had been able to emerge Rei and Shinji had disappeared and she still hadn't been able to find anyone of significance besides Touji and Kensuke and those two hadn't even seen anything.

Asuka finally found herself outside Nerv, standing in the wasteland that was all that was left of Tokyo-3. Signing she sat down on a small nearby boulder and lent back, resting her head on her arms. "What the hell is going on here?" She closed her eyes and considered.

Once Asuka had cared only about being the best. That had been before she met her friends. Asuka may not have been the best at being friendly but she had generally enjoyed being with her friends. Spending time with Hikari was fun and even the three stooges could be good company when they weren't being stupid. She had even grown use to living with the baka Shinji, actually enjoying his presence on occasion.

Then that strange attack from the UN had happened, something which had never been fully explained to Asuka. After that Shinji had disappeared along with Rei, though at the time Asuka hadn't cared about the latter. When they had returned several months later they had brought Nara with them. Nara had not made a good first impression on Asuka, acting far too similar to his sister for Asuka's liking. He seemed to exhibit the same thing she hated most about Rei. He ignored her when she tried to insult him.

That had always been what she hated most about Rei. Whatever she said the girl just never seemed to care, always just giving her that same empty look. It infuriated Asuka no end that Rei didn't make her the center of attention when she yelled. Everyone else would pay attention when she did so.

Then Misato had held a party at the apartment. The first thing that surprised Asuka was that Rei wore something other than her school uniform, actually turning up in a dress. Then at dinner she had called the girl a doll and for the first time ever Rei had responded angrily. The usually reserved girl had actually yelled at her. It soon became apparent to Asuka that Rei wasn't the same person she used to be and had become more forthright in her manner. Shinji too had changed becoming slightly more introverted and far less shy. Nara had seemed to mimic the two in their manner.

After that day Asuka had been highly confused about her feelings towards Rei and Nara. It seemed that her main reason for hating Rei had disappeared and her main reason for hating Nara along with it. She could no longer figure out why she should hate them.

Then the 18th Angel had attacked and Rei and Nara's entry plugs had been crushed. Asuka had been so sure they were dead and even when she found out they were alive she had been sure they were terrible injured. She had decided then that she didn't hate them. She wanted them to be okay and she wanted them to be her friends.

Miraculously the two had survived relatively unscathed, to Asuka's extreme bafflement. Still the important thing had been that they were okay. From then on Asuka had tried her best to be their friends.

Things had gone well for awhile but then Shinji had self-destructed his Eva against the 19th Angel. Asuka remembered trying to comfort Rei after the incident but the girl had seemed inconsolable. Then Nara had dragged his sister off to Nerv for no apparent reason. The next time Asuka had seen them Rei had seemed much calmer but they had been forced into a battle before she could question the blue haired girl. Asuka was still unsure of exactly what happened in that battle but at the end she had been told by Misato that both Rei and Nara were dead.

Asuka slowly opened her eyes. "And now they're back."

(Several Hours Later, Somewhere In France)

Nara stood on a tall concrete wall, uncaring of the barbed wire crushed beneath his feet. Below him was a UN military compound. The compound was comprised of several large hangers and a multitude of smaller buildings, many of them appearing to be barracks of some kind. Military vehicles ranging from jeeps to huge tanks filled the compound.

Nara considered the compound. According to the information he had pulled from Seele 09's mind before killing him this was the location of Seele 06, an interesting hiding place.

Nara was amused at Seele's security measures. No-one within the organisation new the location of all the other members, making it difficult to track them all down. It was a delaying tactic, nothing more. It wouldn't save them from him.

Xera had only known the locations of Seele 08 and Seele 09. Nara had chosen to leave Seele 08 for awhile because he was still deciding exactly what he wanted to do to the man. From Seele 09 he had discovered the locations of Seele 11, Seele 12 and Seele 06. Seele 11 and Seele 12 had already been eliminated and he had learnt the location of Seele 10. Now he was going to eliminate Seele 06 and hopefully learn the locations of more of the members.

He glanced sideways at Xera, who stood beside him on the wall. "Seele 06 is the commander of this base." He clenched his right fist and generated a blade. "Let's go find him."

Xera only nodded slightly and the two jumped off the wall, running towards the central buildings of the compound. It didn't take long for the alarm to be raised and soon gunfire rang out within the compound.

(That Night, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Misato checked her pistol one last time and then slowly crept from her room and into the dark corridor outside. She quickly checked the corridor for any inhabitants and upon finding none crept down it towards a juncture with another, parallel corridor.

She reached the juncture and turned right. She was about to head down the new corridor when she noticed a figure standing a few meters down the hallway. The figure appeared to be facing her but made no movement of recognition upon her appearance. Misato eased her pistol out of its holster.

It was then that a soft voice broke the silence. "Misato, is that you?"

Misato signed in relief and holstered her pistol. "Asuka, what are you doing here?"

The girl stepped forward, making her features clearer to Misato. Asuka had a determined caste to her face. "You're going to find out what's going on here aren't you?"

Misato looked wary now. "Asuka, I…"

"I'm coming with you."

Misato stared at the girl in disbelief. She wanted to come with her? "Asuka, I don't think…"

Asuka shook her head violently. "I'm coming Misato. If you try to stop me I'll tell everyone what you're doing." The girl signed slightly. "I want to find out what's going on as much as you do."

Misato signed in defeat, she had lived with Asuka long enough to tell she wasn't going to win this argument. "Okay Asuka, you can come. But promise me you'll be careful."

Asuka smiled slightly. "Don't worry Misato. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

Misato nodded slightly in resignation and walked passed the girl, keeping to the shadows as she made her way through the twisting corridors. Asuka followed silently, surprising Misato with her stealth. Of course they were allowed to wander Central Dogma at will but Misato didn't want to draw anyone's attention in case they were followed and their real destination was revealed.

Misato knew that Nerv's elevators were under constant video surveillance so avoided them completely. Instead she traversed between the levels of Central Dogma through a series of stairwells, Asuka right behind her the whole way.

Misato was not completely sure how she felt about Asuka's presence. She was worried that the girl might be hurt or worse killed but at the same time she knew Asuka deserved to know what was going on.

Misato had lived with the fiery redhead for almost two years now and had formed a deep attachment to the girl but she was still constantly aware that there was so much about Asuka she did not understand. Asuka had always seemed so confident and yet recently she had seemed sad and confused. She covered it with a veil of anger of course but Misato knew her well enough to see through that.

Misato was broken from her thoughts as she and Asuka finally reached a large steel door that had Terminal Dogma written on it in large capital letters. Misato pulled open a small keypad next to the door and began fiddling with the wires behind it. "This could take awhile Asuka so just be patient."

Asuka just nodded in response.

(Nerv, Control Room)

Ritsuko sat alone in the control room. She was running a diagnostic test on the three MAGI, checking for any damage that may have been caused by the advents of the previous day. She didn't expect to find any damage, since the MAGI were protected by their cases. Still it was a necessary test, as the MAGI formed an integral part of the Nerv complex.

As Ritsuko ran the test she was distracted by a security alert popping up at the bottom of her screen. Curious, she clicked on the flashing icon. She frowned slightly, it seemed that one of the door's to Terminal Dogma had been breached and yet the main alarm hadn't been triggered. All this alarm was telling her was that the door was now open. She attempted to get a feed from the camera overseeing the door but all she got was static. The camera system had yet to be reactivated since the damage caused in the Angel attack.

Ritsuko growled and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. It was probable just a fault in the wiring caused by the cracks in the wall but she still had to check it out. Grabbing a nearby flashlight she headed for the specified Terminal Dogma entrance.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Rei shifted as she struggled to get to sleep. Technically sleep was unnecessary for her but as the foetus inside her grew she was feeling increasingly drained of her energy. The child was consuming a considerable amount of energy from Rei's S2 organ in order to fuel its rapid maturation.

It wasn't easy for Rei to sleep however. The child was growing at an incredible rate, a process which caused Rei a large amount of physical pain. Her internal organs were constantly being shoved aside to make way for the foetus and the skin on her stomach had begun to stretch outwards, giving her a slight bulge. Rei had attempted to keep the womb within the usual parameters of her body but its width had now exceeded those parameters, making such a task impossible. Rei groaned slightly as the womb stretched minutely, the pain of the movement coursing through her being.

Her groan subsided quickly and she smiled slightly as she felt Shinji's arms tighten slightly about her chest. She felt her link to Shinji open and accept some of the pain she was feeling. This ability was a mark of how strong their link was, allowing them to share even physical sensations.

Rei was deeply in love with Shinji though she still wasn't exactly sure why. All she knew was that he made her feel complete and that she loved him with her entire being. She could feel his mind across the link and knew that he thought the exact same thing about her.

(Meanwhile, Somewhere In Africa)

Xera followed Nara as the boy flew through the air before her. She flew with her body horizontal to the ground, the ground below her whizzing past at incredible speeds. As usual Nara had not deemed it necessary to tell her where they were going, he'd simply ordered her to follow.

Xera had been highly surprised when Nara had allowed her to regenerate, even lending her some energy to fuel the difficult process. She had expected the boy to just crush her S2 organ as soon as he had absorbed the information he wanted.

Evidently Nara had decided his ripped body-suit was too damaged for its use to remain practical and had changed into loose black clothing. Where the boy had acquired these clothes Xera did not know but he had given her similar attire.

To Xera's extreme frustration she had found that her link with the boy allowed him to do more than simply read her mind. He had been able to exhibit a degree of control over her. She had found that she was unable to bring herself to attack him, despite very much wanting to. Further more she had been unable to argue with him when he ordered her to follow him and assist in the destruction of her former masters.

Nara had already begun his slaughter of Seele before allowing her to regenerate and had killed several more since. He was always the one to kill the members, even if Xera assisted in apprehending them.

As Xera watched, Nara veered to the right and flew lower to the ground. Increasingly frustrated at her apparent slavery, Xera followed the boy's path.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Misato carefully hit the open button of the door in front of her and watched it slide open. She peered into the room, tightening her hold on her pistol as she did so. The woman was disappointed however as she found yet another empty room.

Signing, Misato closed the door as silently as she could and continued down the hallway to the next door. Asuka followed close behind her.

Terminal Dogma's twisted passageways were even more confusing than those of Central Dogma and to make matters worst the vast majority of the rooms were simply empty. Misato was beginning to wonder if they would ever find anything down here.

Reaching the next door Misato keyed it to open, expecting to find another empty room. She was surprised therefore to find that the room wasn't empty. Against the far wall rested three cylindrical tanks that appeared to be full of LCL, each one fitted with a small computer terminal.

Asuka stepped into the room behind Misato and walked passed the woman, resting a hand on one of the tanks. "What are these things?"

"I'm afraid Asuka that that's classified information."

Both Asuka and Misato whirled around to face the speaker. Ritsuko stood in the doorway, she had her arms crossed and she was leaning against the side of the doorframe.

Quick as a flash Misato raised her pistol and pointed it at doctor. "What are you doing here Ritsuko?"

Ritsuko smiled at the major. "Shouldn't I be asking you that major?" She noticed that Misato's stance didn't relax at all. "Relax Misato. If I wanted to stop you I would have done it when I had the chance."

Misato didn't allow herself to relax, continuing to point her pistol at Ritsuko's head. "Surely you're not suggesting that I trust you."

Ritsuko glanced at Asuka then back to Misato, she deliberately didn't focus on the pistol. "What do you have to lose Misato? I am unarmed, so what could I possible do to you?"

Misato slowly lowered her pistol, keeping her hand on its handle so she could draw it quickly if needed. "I still don't trust you Ritsuko but perhaps I could be persuaded to if you agree to show us around." She pulled some handcuffs from her belt with her free hand and threw them to Asuka. "Put these on her."

Asuka complied with the order silently, securing the doctor's hands behind her back. Oddly perhaps, Ritsuko made no move to stop her.

Once her hands were secured Ritsuko briefly pulled on the handcuffs, testing their strength. "You're always prepared aren't you Misato?" She signed. "Will you trust me now?"

Misato smirked. "I'll trust you when you prove to me that you are worthy of my trust. For now we need a guide, so I'll tolerate your presence."

Ritsuko nodded almost imperceptibly. "That will have to do I suppose." She allowed a slight smile to cross her features. "Where do you want to begin?"

Misato still hadn't loosened her grip on her pistol. "You can start by telling us what the hell you did to the children."

Ritsuko still wore the same smile. "What children?"

"Don't bullshit around with me Ritsuko. You know who I mean." Misato gritted her teeth as she spoke.

Ritsuko looked at Asuka. The girl seemed to be in a similar mood to Misato, an angry expression on her face. The doctor looked back to Misato. "I didn't do anything Misato. The 'children' are responsible for their own condition." She looked briefly between the two and signed. "It began with the Third Impact…"

For almost an hour Ritsuko talked to Misato and Asuka, explaining everything she knew about the advents of the Third Impact. Neither of her two audience members had ever even heard of the adverted Third Impact, they had always thought that day was comprised of an attack by UN forces and Seele's mass production Evas, nothing else. Ritsuko didn't know the full story of what transpired that day but she knew all the major points. By the time she had finished explaining everything, both Misato and Asuka were quite speechless.

Ritsuko eventually turned to the tanks in the room, nodding towards them. "Rei, Shinji and Nara were left unconscious and completely unresponsive by the events. Rei and Shinji appear to have had difficulty in assimilating Adam and Lilith, and it is likely this that caused their comas. At the time Nara had never yet been conscious but it can be assumed he was suffering similar problems."

Misato couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you saying they're…they're Angels?" No, Ritsuko had to be lying. Why would the children do such a thing to themselves?

"Haven't you been listening Misato?" Ritsuko shook her head in frustration. "Rei and Shinji haven't been human since the Third Impact and Nara never was. They are the embodiment of the seventeen Angels."

Asuka stepped forward, drawing both women's attention to her. "What about the others? The Angels we've fought recently?"

"They were not real Angels but creations of Seele instead. You should know that Seele are all very powerful individuals, capable of draining the economies of entire nations if necessary." Ritsuko shrugged as best she could. "Still I guess we don't have to worry about them anymore."

Misato was still finding it difficult to believe that Rei, Shinji and Nara were actually Angels. The Angels were evil entities intent on destroying mankind, how could those three possible be them? "You still haven't given me a good reason to trust what you say."

Ritsuko signed. "What would I gain from lying to you Misato? If I wasn't going to tell you the truth it would make much more sense to simply tell you nothing."

"Then show me the truth."

"I can't do that Misato." Ritsuko gestured around them with her head. "This part of Terminal Dogma contains nothing of vast importance, so its security system has not yet been repaired. But the main part of Terminal Dogma has had all of its security systems reactivated. The commander would know the second we set foot in there and it is the only place where I can show you the truth."

Asuka's eyes flashed dangerously. "Are you suggesting we simply give up?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "I will show you Asuka, both of you, just not know. It is already late, return to your rooms. Tomorrow night I will hack into the security systems and create an opening in which the commander will not be alerted to our presence. All I ask is that you be patient until then."

Misato laughed slightly. "You know that patience has never been my strong point Ritsuko and neither has trust. How do I know you won't simply go tell the commander that we were here?"

Ritsuko shrugged. "You don't. You'll just have to trust me. As I already said, without my help you will be caught and when you are you will be killed. With my help you may just survive."

At first Misato did nothing but eventually she walked over and undid Ritsuko's handcuffs, releasing the doctor from her bonds. "If you betray me Ritsuko, I will kill you."

Ritsuko rubbed her sore wrists. "I know."

(Dawn, Somewhere In Australia)

Nara's wings folded to his back as he rose from his half-crouch, pulling his fist from the chest of the man below him. The guard's heart had been pulverised by Nara's attack and his body was quickly being surrounded by a spreading pool of blood.

Beside Nara, Xera pulled her blade from another guard's head, her own wings folding to her back. "So you've finally decided what you want to do to him."

Nara stared ahead at the hanger like structure before them, ignoring the dozen dead guards that littered the ground around them. "Yes, it is time for Seele 08 to meet his fate." He lashed out with his AT field, smashing open the hanger's reinforced door.

As the door swung open a large tank began to roll out of the hanger and towards the two teens. Its main cannon fired, sending an artillery shell hurtling towards the trespassers. At the same time its co-axle auto cannon began to spin, sending out a constant stream of bullets.

The artillery shell hit Nara head on. Exploding on impact it generated a large cloud of dust that completely obscured both Nara and Xera from sight. The bullets from the auto cannon streamed into this cloud, followed quickly by another shell from the main cannon. Two missiles rose from the tank's tracks and fired into the maelstrom, generating large fireballs that only added to the dust cloud's size.

After almost a minute the tank finally stopped firing, its operator thinking the two teens had been killed. Before the dust cloud could even clear however an arm shot out of the cloud, snaking towards the tank. The arm smashed its way through the front of the tank, colliding with and crushing the operator's head with its fist.

As the dust finally cleared it revealed that neither Nara nor Xera had been even remotely damaged by the seemingly devastating assault. The arm tore free of the tank and returned to its natural length, coming to rest on Nara's right side.

Nara didn't seem at all bothered by the attack he had just endured. "These foolish Lilim, they still believe they can stop us." He began to walk slowly towards the hangar's gaping entrance. "Perhaps I should have killed them all when I had the chance."

Xera followed him slowly. "If you had done that you wouldn't exist in the form you do now."

"Do you seriously believe that is something I would miss?" Nara didn't turn. He just continued to walk towards the hanger.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji lay awake, lying on top of his and Rei's makeshift bed. Rei lay curled up against him, wrapped up in his arms. The girl was still asleep, heavily fatigued from the energy drain caused by Naoki's growth.

Shinji gently kissed the back of Rei's head and brought his hands to rest on the increasing bulge of her stomach. Rei stirred slightly but stayed asleep. Across the link Shinji could feel the life form growing within her. Naoki was fast approaching her time of birth. It wouldn't be long now until she would have to be removed from Rei's body. Shinji was looking forward to the birth and he could sense that Rei was as well.

Slowly releasing Rei, Shinji rose to his feet. After Naoki was born there would be precious little time before preparations would have to be made. Preparations for the goal that both Shinji and his father were intent on reaching.

Neither Shinji nor Rei trusted Gendo at all and Shinji was sure his father had to be planning something. Gendo wasn't the type of person who would willingly work alongside someone. He always wanted to be the one with the power. This didn't worry Shinji however. He knew what his father was capable of and he knew that nothing the man could do would stop him.

For what must have been the thousandth time Shinji checked his link with Nara. He signed when he discovered that the link was still closed, he could sense that Nara was still alive but little else. Nara had not opened the link since he left, stopping both Shinji and Rei from being able to feel his emotions or know his thoughts. Signing again, Shinji picked up his black body-suit and began to pull it on.

(Australian Secret Base)

Nara raised his hand and blasted the top off the elevator shaft that stood in the center of the massive hanger, destroying the elevator itself in the process. As soon as his blast had dissipated he jumped into the shaft, Xera following close behind. The two sped down the shaft, heading towards the underground facility that lay below.

This was the facility where the majority of Seele's research and production took place. It had been constructed in the months after the Third Impact and since then had been Seele's main base of operations. This was where Seele's more recent Evas had been produced, along with the majority of its engineered Angels.

This had also been were Xera was created. By the same man who had been largely responsible for Kaoru's creation. Seele 08, the overseer for this entire facility.

Nara had known the location of this base ever since he had read Xera's mind but had held off attacking it. He had taken time to consider what he wanted to do to his old master. The man who had sent him to Nerv. The man who had sent him to his death.

The two teens finally reached the bottom of the elevator shaft, slowing themselves down with their AT fields so that they touched down gracefully. Before they had even reached the shaft's floor they had been aware of loud alarms coming from the base and they were now almost deafening.

Tearing open the shaft's entrance, Nara stepped into the base. He quickly generated a blade and beheaded a nearby guard. A nearby female scientist screamed in terror and began to run away but was incinerated by an energy beam fired by Xera.

A loud computerised voice boomed out over the base's loud speakers. "All security personnel report to the entrance chamber. Engage invaders on sight. Deadly force is authorised. All civilian personnel are advised to return to their quarters."

Nara noticed a squad of guards running towards them and promptly blasted them into nothingness, incinerating an unfortunate scientist in the process. Xera used her AT field to crush another guard attempting to sneak up behind them.

Ignoring the scurrying scientists and maintenance crewman attempting to get out of their road and the useless attempts of the guards to stop them Nara and Xera took off at a run, beginning their search for Seele 08.

They ran through the bases corridors, killing anyone who got in their way. Nara took the opportunity to pull directions from a frightened maintenance crewman's mind before killing him.

They soon found themselves in a cavernous chamber, containing multiple tanks full of some sort of dark blue liquid. This chamber had been used to grow Angels, one of many littered throughout the base. Almost all the tanks were empty but a handful contained half-formed Angels, replacements for those that had been destroyed.

For the most part the Angels were still dormant but in one nearby tank the form of an 18th Angel shifted. Lights around the tank's base immediately came on and the Angel's eyes sprung open. The shackling holding it in place released and the Angel reached for the rim of the tank.

Before the black Angel could get anywhere however it was obliterated as both Nara and Xera fired huge energy beams, rupturing several other tanks in the process and sending the dark blue liquid spreading across the ground.

Uncaring of the spreading liquid the two teens took off again, heading deeper into the base.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Rei's eyes slowly opened as she woke from her restless sleep. The first thing she noticed was that Shinji was not beside her. Her fears were alleviated quickly however as she noticed him standing nearby, looking down at her. She smiled slightly and Shinji smiled back.

Rei slowly rose to her feet, noticing as she did so that her stomach had expanded in size while she slept. It now stood out considerable from her body, her body-suit stretching to incorporate the increased bulk. Rei had to smile slightly as she looked at herself. This would probable be considered a downside of pregnancy but personally she didn't see the problem. It was just another sign of her daughter's existence and approaching birth. Still she supposed that it might grow frustrating for women who had to deal with it for months.

Rei signed slightly as Shinji stepped forward and put his arm around her, helping her to stand. She knew any normal pregnancy wouldn't fatigue her at all but this was no normal pregnancy. The foetus within her was far from normal and the gestation period was much, much shorter than normal. This pregnancy drained even her, and would have killed any normal woman.

Turning slightly Rei bestowed a deep kiss on Shinji's lips, relishing in the feeling of his lips on hers. She didn't try to speak to him, she was happy with him just being there. Rei smiled into the kiss as Shinji put his arms around her waist, holding her gently and being careful not to put any pressure on her womb.

When they finally broke the kiss, Rei lowered her head and rested it on Shinji's chest. "She is growing fast, it won't be long now."

Shinji looked down at her, smiling slightly. "Do you know when?"

Rei smiled up at him. "Tonight I think. It seems she is very impatient to be borne. It will not be very late when the time comes."

Shinji stroked her back gently. "Good, the sooner the better. Don't you agree Rei-chan?"

Rei laughed quietly. "Believe me Shin-chan, I am in full agreement."

(Several Minutes Later, Australian Secret Base)

Seele 08 activated the console before him and began to type a series of commands. The last security report he had received had claimed that the two intruders had already penetrated the first ten levels and he'd lost all contact since then.

That the intruders were from Nerv, Seele 08 had no doubt. It appeared that they were immune to conventional weapon fire so Seele 08 guessed it was probable Shinji Ikari and another like him, perhaps Xera had turned traitor.

Who they were wasn't important though, that they had certainly come to kill him was. Seele 08 had no doubt that these intruders intended to kill him. Over the last couple of days half of Seele had been slain. Only he and the Instrumentality Committee were left now. It appeared that he was to be the next to die.

Seele 08 heard the faint sound of the computerised door behind him sliding open. His assistant again no doubt, like he actually needed someone to tell him they still had no contact with the rest of the facility. "What is it now?"

"It is time for you to meet your fate Brandon."

Seele 08 slowly turned, knowing his death stood behind him. The boy he found himself facing was not who he expected, it was not Shinji Ikari. And yet he was clearly one of them, with grey wings extending from his back and dark red eyes. "Who…who are you? How do you know my name?"

The boy smiled wickedly. "Surely you remember me. I'll be hurt if you don't."

Brandon noticed Xera enter the room behind the boy, it appeared she really had betrayed him. He quickly brought his attention back to the boy. "I've never seen you before in my life."

The boy laughed mirthlessly. "Yes, well you see I've changed. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Tabris."

Brandon's eyes widened to an extent that seemed inhuman. "Ta…Tabris? Are you saying that you are Kaoru?"

The boy laughed again and shook his head. "Kaoru died a long time ago, when you sent him to his death. In essence I am him reborn. If you must assign me a Lilim name, you can call me Nara." The boy raised his hand to stop Brandon from responding. "But I tire of this pointless conversation. I have come here to get my revenge on you. Prepare yourself."

Brandon's façade of composure broke and he looked desperately to Xera. "Xera, I am your master, you must defend me."

Xera looked back at him coldly. "I no longer owe any allegiance to you." She smiled slightly. "I believe I will enjoy watching you die."

Nara raised a hand and Xera fell silent. "I'm not going kill him Xera."

For a moment Brandon regained some of his composure, thinking that perhaps he was to be spared. He soon lost it again at Nara's next statement.

"I have something far worse in store for him."

His courage completely deserting him, Brandon turned and began to run. He didn't get far however, Nara's arm snaked out and grabbed him by the back of his head. With a savage yank Nara pulled the struggling man back and forced him to his knees.

Nara smiled at the man's predicament. "Death is too good for you Brandon. I was going to just kill you at first but after some consideration I think I've devised a far more fitting punishment. I think I'll make you suffer for eternity. Suffer for the part you played in my death. Or should I say deaths."

Brandon would have responded but he was currently rendered incapable of speaking due to his mouth being held shut by Nara's AT field. He could only look on with fear as a shadow extended out from Nara's feet, turning the ground below both of them pitch black.

Xera tilted her head to the side in thought. "You're going to put him into a Sea of Dirac?"

Nara smiled at her, though not warmly. "Yes, I will leave him floating in an infinite expanse of nothingness. I wonder wether he will lose his mind, before he starves to death. It is a worthy punishment don't you think?"

Xera bowed her head slightly. "I have no objections."

"Good." Nara released the still struggling Brandon and watched as he began to sink into his shadow. Thanks to his AT field Nara was able to stand atop the shadow but Brandon did not have that luxury. Before the man had completely disappeared, he was released from the grip of Nara's AT field and he let out a bloodcurdling scream. The scream was cut off quickly however as his head finally fell below the surface of the shadow, which promptly disappeared.

As soon as it was done, Xera stepped over to the room's computer console and reviewed Brandon's most recently entered commands. "He was trying to activate the base's self-destruct, he almost finished too."

Nara pushed her out of the road and bent over the console. He considered for a moment then hit several keys. Alarms immediately rang out all around them and the computerised voice boomed out once again. "Self-destruct sequence activated. This base will self-destruct in twenty seconds. All personal are required to report to the entrance chamber for evacuation."

Nara focused his AT field and blasted upwards, sending a huge cross-flare crashing through the floors above, making it all the way to the surface before dissipating. He turned to his female companion. "Let's go. I'd rather not be here when that timer hits zero."

Xera nodded and both she and Nara took off up the hole, heading straight for the surface. They rocketed past the base's many levels and emerged on the surface.

Nara didn't wait to witness the base's destruction. He had far more important things to do. It was time to destroy the Instrumentality Committee. Turning he took off towards the horizon, Xera following right behind him. Behind them a flash of light turned the sky a blinding white.

(Several Hours Later, Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo held out his hand to receive the data disk held out by the man in front of him. "You have done well Shadow."

The man known as Shadow placed the disk in Gendo's hand. "I got this just in time. Less than an hour after I left that base it was completely destroyed. It's nothing but a crater now."

Gendo smirked. "Good, I wouldn't want this information to become widespread." He looked down at the disk.

"Do you require my services at present?"

Gendo shook his head and motioned to the door. "No, you may leave now. I will call you when needed, if you are needed."

Shadow bowed and spun on his heel, quickly departing the room.

Gendo flipped the data disk over in his hand. He had sent off Shadow two days before Seele's final attack but it had taken the assassin longer to find Seele's hidden base than Gendo had originally expected. Still, the man had succeeded in his mission. Gendo now held the design notes on Seele's engineered Angels, showing him how the Angels had been created. With this, he could complete the final part of his plan.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Rei was walking down one of the corridors of Terminal Dogma. Currently neither she nor Shinji were allowed outside of the central area of Terminal Dogma and Rei was not enjoying the feeling of being cooped up. She was aware that in her current condition it was probably for the best but with the speeds she was capable of moving at she could cross the length of this place in bare seconds. Such speeds tired her however, so instead she spent much of her time walking around lazily.

As always Shinji walked beside Rei, constantly monitoring the pregnant girl. He was well aware that Rei's pregnancy posed no real threat to her but at the same time he couldn't help feeling a little anxious. It was beginning to grow late and Rei didn't think it would be long now until Naoki demanded to be freed from her mother's body.

Shinji turned his attention to one of the many security cameras that hung from the ceiling. The security camera turned to follow their path as they walked passed it. Shinji gave the camera a small smile, amused that his father thought keeping them under surveillance was going to do him any good. Shinji had already destroyed the camera in their room. He didn't appreciate anyone watching what went on in there. For some reason, Gendo hadn't commented on the camera's destruction.

Shinji's attention was abruptly brought back to Rei as the girl groaned loudly and bent over slightly, her arms going around her swollen stomach. "Rei, what's wrong?"

Rei looked up at him, and smiled widely despite visibly being in pain. "It's time Shinji. Our daughter is ready to be born."

Shinji smiled back. "I'd better get you back to the room then." He easily scooped Rei up into his arms and ran off down the corridor at such speeds that all the cameras were able to record was a black blur.

(Air-Space over JSSDF HQ)

Nara floated high above the rebuilt headquarters of the Japanese-Strategic-Self-Defence-Force. The base had recovered completely from the utter devastation caused by the 19th Angel's attack and Unit-01's subsequent selfdestruct.

The JSSDF had successfully lobbied for sufficient funding from the UN to get the base rebuilt. In the end they had received enough money to fund the construction of an Evangelion Unit, and they had used the money efficiently.

Below, several tall structures split open and a Jet Alone stepped out of each. There were eight in total, each with machine guns attached to their arms. The large nuclear powered mechas raised their arms and fired a storm of massive bullets into the sky.

Beside Nara, Xera pointed her arm at one of the mechas and prepared to fire. Nara however motioned her to stop. "Ignore them, they can't hurt us. We're here for Seele 05. Nothing else is of consequence."

Xera let her arm fall to her side, completely ignoring the bullets that exploded against her AT field. "It would be simpler if we simply blew up the whole base."

Nara shook his head. "This is a military base Xera, there's likely an entire network of bunkers. I want to make sure I get her." He pointed towards a two-storey building which was roughly in the center of the compound. "That's the command building, it's our best bet." A stream of bullets collided unnoticed with his AT field.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Rei groaned loudly as Shinji laid her down on their shared bed. Naoki had reached her time of birth and was unfortunately still growing, threatening to rip Rei's womb apart. Rei knew that Naoki meant her no harm but the child didn't know what was going on, she just wanted out. Shinji had helped Rei to remove her body-suit before laying her down and she now lay there naked, arching her back in pain.

Shinji leant down next to her and placed his hands on Rei's stomach. "Okay Rei, we'll do this the easy way."

Rei laughed as best she could through her pain. "I just wish there was a painless way."

Shinji gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster. "I'll make this as quick and painless as I can Rei-chan."

Rei merely nodded in response. For a moment Shinji's hands simply lay on top of her stomach, then they slowly began to sink into her. The hands sunk in by inches until even the wrists were buried below Rei's skin.

Inside Rei's womb, Shinji's hands slowly closed around Naoki. One of his hands gently twisted the umbilical cord and tore it in two. The other gently holding the child, who nevertheless tried to twist away from the unwelcome intrusion.

Both Rei and Shinji groaned loudly, the pain transmitted across the link almost blinding in its intensity. Rei had the worst of it but Shinji had his fair share as well.

(JSSDF HQ, Command Building)

Nara kicked down the door before him and stepped into the command center that lay behind it. The officers who filled the room immediately turned to face him. These men and women were not cowards and stood resolute, showing only a hint of fear.

Nara ignored them all and looked straight at the woman who stood at the head of the large table that dominated the very center of the room. This was the commander of the entire JSSDF. This was Seele 05.

Xera entered behind Nara and unlike him she looked around at the surrounding officers, her look was slightly approving as she noticed their stalwartness.

Nara bowed slightly to Seele 05 and raised his hand, spreading his fingers and directing his palm towards the woman. "You realise I've come to kill you?"

Seele 05 looked back expressionlessly, her face set. "Yes I know. If you're expecting me to beg for my life, then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."

Nara looked suitable impressed. "I most say it's nice to meet a member of Seele who doesn't cower in fear when they see me. I'm almost sorry to do this." He fired a thin beam of energy that put a small hole straight through Seele 05's head.

Nara turned to the man who appeared to be the base's second in command but just as he opened his mouth to talk, he suddenly closed it again and grabbed the sides of his head. Nara let out a soft but inhuman roar as his link to Shinji and Rei exploded. Even the attempts he'd made at closing the link were not enough to stop him from feeling a burst of intense pain. In this moment of pain he was unable to maintain his grip on his link to Xera.

Xera suddenly felt Nara's presence in the back of her head dim and the control he held over her weaken. She didn't know what was happening but she wasn't going to miss this opportunity, this was her chance to finally be free of Nara's control. Generated a blade from her right wrist she drove it towards Nara's back.

Nara recovered quickly however. Still visibly in pain he swung around and grabbed Xera by the neck, slamming her against a nearby wall. He re-established his hold on Xera's mind and neutralised her AT field. "Don't think to betray me Xera. I have not grown so attached that I wouldn't kill you for such insolence." And with that he forced his lips on hers.

It was a rough kiss and a little painful. At first Xera tried to struggle against him but she eventually became still. It wasn't so bad really. He wasn't a terrible kisser, just a little rough.

After about ten seconds Nara broke the kiss, though he continued to grip Xera's throat. "You are _mine_ Xera." He pushed her viciously to the floor. "You would do well to remember that."

Nara slowly turned his back on the girl and walked towards the door. "Come on, we're going back to Nerv." As he stepped through the doorway he turned and looked back at the assembled officers. "Your commander was fearless in the face of death. And because of that I will let you live, but I warn you, get in my way and I'll kill you all."

With that he departed, Xera slowly rising to her feet and following him. She offered not a word to the room's other occupants. She had a slightly bewildered expression on her face and she held one of her hands to her lips.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji gritted his teeth in pain as he pulled his hands back through Rei's skin. His hands were not empty this time though. They brought with them a struggling baby girl. Naoki struggled slightly as she passed through the wall of her mother's womb but quickly calmed down as she emerged into the outside world.

Shinji finally managed to pull Naoki completely free of her mother and Rei thankfully sagged to the ground, completely exhausted by the process. Shinji too was worn out but he was still able to keep himself upright. He looked at the pale skinned baby held in his hands. She was remarkable silent for a newborn, staring with wide red eyes at her father. She looked more bewildered than anything else.

Rei held out her arms, feeling an instinctive need to hold her daughter. She was hers after all and it was only right that she get to hold her. Rei had been looking forward to this moment for a long time and she wasn't going to let anyone ruin it for her, not even Shinji. She was too tired to speak but she knew that speech was unnecessary.

Shinji responded to Rei's silent request without hesitation, placing Naoki into her arms. Upon receiving her daughter, Rei immediately cradled the little girl to her body. In seconds Naoki's expression turned from one of bewilderment to one of utter contentment and she rested her head against her mother's warm breasts, letting out a happy sort of signing sound.

Shinji knelt down next to the two and looked Rei in the eye. "How does it feel Rei?"

Rei smiled up at him, her arms wrapping themselves around Naoki's small form. "It feels wonderful Shinji. I don't think I can describe it in mere words."

Shinji returned the smile and lay down next to the two, draping his right arm over both of them and running his left hand through Rei's hair. "I think it would be best if you two got some sleep now. You're still low on energy."

Rei didn't respond verbally she just closed her eyes and allowed Shinji to draw her closer to him, making sure she kept a secure hold on Naoki. For her part Naoki fell asleep almost instantly, supremely comfortable in her current position.

Shinji smiled down at the two as Rei drifted off to sleep, deciding that right now he couldn't be happier. He slowly allowed himself to drift into a sort of half-sleep, a state in which he could rest but remain aware of the world around him. He wanted to be ready in case it became necessary for him to protect Rei and Naoki.

(15 Minutes Later, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Nara lifted the massive boulder blocking an entrance into Central Dogma and threw it away, giving him access to the base below. The boy casually walked into the corridor, motioning for Xera to follow him.

The first person they met was a Nerv scientist who took one look at them and ran back down the corridor she had come from. Nara couldn't help but smile slightly. "Am I really that scary?"

"Do you really want an answer to that Nara?" Ritsuko stepped out of a side corridor and stood in front of the boy. "What are you doing here? Have you killed all of Seele already?"

Nara shook his head slowly. "I still have to kill the last four members of Seele. I'm only here now because I felt something odd happen to Shinji and Rei."

Ritsuko's attention focused on the silver haired girl behind Nara. "This is Xera? Why did you allow her to live?"

Nara growled slightly. "My reasons are my own Ritsuko. They're none of your business. Now tell me what happened to Shinji and Rei."

Ritsuko signed. "I'm not sure if you already know this or not but Rei is pregnant. I suppose it's possible she might have already given birth."

Nara actually looked surprised. "She was pregnant? I didn't know that." He turned to Xera. "You're coming with me, but I warn you, don't do anything without my permission." The two teens walked off down one of Central Dogma's many corridors, Ritsuko following them.

Nara considered this event as the three of them stepped into the base's main elevator and he keyed it to take them to Terminal Dogma. Why hadn't Shinji and Rei told him that Rei was pregnant? There didn't seem to be a reasonable explanation for it. He was now certain that the burst of pain he had felt across the link was a result of Rei giving birth. Shinji and Rei were going to have to answer some questions. He kept his link to them securely closed.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji roused himself to full wakefulness as he heard footsteps in the corridor outside. There was the distinctive sound of Ritsuko's heeled footsteps along with some softer footsteps that were barely distinguishable.

Shinji released Rei and Naoki and rose to his feet, turning to face the door just as it slid open. The first person to step into the chamber was not someone he had expected. It was Nara. "Nara, what are you doing here?"

Nara didn't answer at first, his eyes looking pass Shinji and focusing on the sleeping form of Rei, or more particularly on the sleeping baby Rei held in her arms. "Why didn't you tell me she was pregnant Shinji?"

Shinji glanced back at Rei and Naoki, considering putting himself directly between them and the boy. He mentally scolded himself for the thought. Nara was one of them, he could trust him. "We didn't want to bother you about it. It seemed like your thoughts were occupied with something else. We were going to tell you after the Angel army had been destroyed but you took off before we could." For the first time Shinji focused on the two figures who had entered the room after Nara. One of them was Ritsuko as he'd expected. The other was Xera. "So you decided to let her live."

Nara glanced back at the girl. "Do not worry Shinji, she is not a threat. I have full control over her."

Shinji nodded. "Yes, I can sense the link. It is strange. You haven't given her any control over it."

Nara was about to respond but was interrupted as Rei stirred. She had felt Shinji's increasing apprehension and it had roused her to wakefulness. She slowly rose to her feet and turned to face the new arrivals, Naoki still clutched to her chest. Her eyes scanned over Ritsuko and Xera and focused on Nara. She smiled brightly at the boy and held Naoki out in front of her, though still quite close to her body. "It's good that you're here Nara. I want you to meet my little Naoki."

The child in question stirred in her mother's arms and slowly opened her eyes, blinking and squinting cutely. Her red eyes regarded Nara with a strange sort of intensity. Her head was covered in a light scattering of light blue hairs.

Nara couldn't help but smile slightly at the baby. "She's very nice Rei."

Rei continued to smile and brought Naoki back to her chest. "She's so beautiful don't you think?" She heard Naoki make a happy gurgling nose and felt the baby clutch at her skin with her small hands. "And she loves me."

Shinji smiled at Rei's actions, while keeping a wary eye on both Ritsuko and Xera. He was glad Nara no longer seemed angry that the child's existence had not previously been revealed to him.

Ritsuko had been keeping quite this entire time but now chose to step forward and speak up. "Why did you not inform me that the child had been born?" She tried to keep her attention away from Rei's complete nakedness.

Shinji shrugged. "There was no reason to bother you. Everything went well with the birth."

Ritsuko shot the boy a rather annoyed look. "That doesn't mean I don't still have to look her over." She began to advance towards Rei and Naoki.

Rei however took a step back and clutched Naoki tighter. "She's fine. You don't have to check her."

Unperturbed, Ritsuko took another step forward. "That may be true Rei but I still need to scan her for any problems."

Rei was unimpressed with the doctor's explanation and took another step backwards. "She is linked to me. I know there is nothing wrong with her." Simultaneous to this statement Shinji stepped forward and put a restraining hand on Ritsuko's shoulder, applying just enough pressure to inform her that he meant business.

Ritsuko signed inwardly but kept her face expressionless. "Okay, I won't touch her. Just tell me Rei, is she still growing rapidly?"

Rei nodded slightly, still noticeably wary of Ritsuko's proximity and still holding her daughter tight. "Her accelerated maturation rate will ware off eventually but not for a few hours. By that time she'll genetically be a few weeks old."

Ritsuko nodded in understanding. That was acceptable. A few weeks of age weren't important to the doctor. "How are you going to feed her?" According to the scan she'd earlier made of Rei, the girl did not have the ability to breast feed her baby.

Shinji answered instead of Rei. "She does not need to be feed Ritsuko. Like us she has an S2 organ and it can provide her with all the energy she needs."

Ritsuko turned her attention to the boy, frowning slightly as she did so. "You told me once that it was not necessary for you to sleep and yet that is exactly what Rei was doing when I entered this room, Naoki as well."

Shinji opened his mouth to respond but was beaten to it by Nara. "Sleep is mostly unnecessary for us Ritsuko, but not completely so. Our S2 organs do not have a completely infinite amount of energy. Occasionally even we feel drained. While sleeping our bodies use less energy so it allows our S2 organs to recharge faster. Just because we don't need to sleep, doesn't mean we can't."

Ritsuko seemed to accept this answer and took a step back, causing Shinji to release her shoulder. She turned and prepared to leave. Her exit however was blocked by Xera who still stood in the doorway. The silver haired girl just stood there, making no motion to move.

Nara turned to look at the silent standoff between the two. He smiled slightly as he noticed Xera's clear intention to stay exactly where she was. "You can move now Xera, Ritsuko's presence here is no longer required."

Xera spared Nara a brief glance then looked back to the doctor. She slowly stepped aside, allowing Ritsuko to exit the room and head back to Central Dogma.

Rei looked at Xera curiously. "What have you done to her Nara? Last time we met she was intent on killing Shinji and anyone else who got in her road." She walked forward slowly, only a little worried at Xera's apparently peaceful presence.

It was Xera who responded. "Do not mistake my lack of action for kindness. I hold no love for you or yours but Nara has made himself my master and I do as he says, for now at least."

Nara smiled maliciously at the girl's statement and turned his attention to Shinji. "Ritsuko has assigned us a room down the hall. We'll be going there now." He glanced sideways at Rei. "I am sorry that we woke you." He and Xera departed the room, leaving Rei and Shinji alone with Naoki.

Rei watched the doorway long after the two had departed. "Something's wrong with him. He doesn't act like he used to."

Shinji responded quietly. "I know, but what can we do. I don't think he wants our help." He looked back at Rei and noticed that Naoki had fallen asleep in the girl's arms. He smiled and motioned towards the child with his hand.

Rei looked down and smiled. Naoki looked so cute when she slept. "I think we should get some more sleep Shinji. After all, it is late."

Shinji nodded and the two teens lay back down on their bed, moving into the same comfortable position they had been in earlier. Rei quickly drifted off to sleep and Shinji returned to his state of half-sleep.

(1 Hour Later, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Misato was woken by a light tapping on her door. She got up immediately and hastily pulled on her normal assortment of clothes. She knew who it was that was knocking even before she opened the door. Sure enough Ritsuko stood on the other side of the door, dressed in her lab coat as always.

Ritsuko turned from the door and motioned with her head for Misato to follow. They headed down the corridor a few meters and Ritsuko carefully knocked on another door. The door opened quickly, revealing Asuka on the other side. The girl was wearing the only change of clothes she had in her possession. A pair of long dark blue jeans and a black tank-top. She didn't speak. She just steeped into the corridor and followed the two women as they headed towards the end of the corridor.

They eventually reached the elevator that would take them to Terminal Dogma, pausing in the shadows as they watched the still active security camera observing the elevator's entrance.

Misato opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by a hand gesture from Ritsuko. The camera made another sweep of the elevator's door and was about to swing back again when the red light near its front suddenly went off and it stoped moving altogether.

Ritsuko looked over her shoulder at Misato and Asuka. "Okay, we have three hours starting now. If we're not out by then, we're going to be caught."

Misato eased her pistol out of its holster. "Okay, let's go."

The three of them got into the elevator and Ritsuko keyed it to take them to Terminal Dogma. "I hope you're ready for this Misato. I really do." The doors shut and the elevator began to descend.

As always the elevator descended slowly, illuminated by passing lights at regular intervals. None of its occupants talked as it descended, the silence almost suffocating in its intensity. Ritsuko stood right in front of the elevator's doors, waiting for them to open. Misato stood behind her with her pistol held loosely in her right hand. Asuka stood in the corner, leaning back against the elevator's walls and keeping a wary eye on both women.

Ritsuko watched as lights whizzed past the elevator's doors. She was wondering wether or not she was doing the right thing. On the one hand this little expedition might get all three of them killed. On the other hand both Misato and Asuka deserved to know exactly what was going on here. Ritsuko had followed Gendo's orders for long enough, she just couldn't stomach that man's malevolence any more. Perhaps with Misato's help she could bring his plans crashing down around him. Asuka too could be a powerful ally, if she could be convinced to betray the commander. A feat that Ritsuko guessed would not be too difficult.

Misato kept her eyes glued to Ritsuko as the elevator descended. She still didn't trust the women. Sure she was one of her oldest friends but that didn't mean she trusted her. Friendship and trust were two different things in Misato's book. She couldn't shake the feeling that she might be walking into a trap. The only thing that stoped Misato from pulling out of this expedition right now was that Ritsuko had already had several chances to betray her and hadn't taken them. And besides, she needed to know what was going on. For now she would give the woman the benefit of the doubt, but that didn't mean she trusted her.

Asuka watched the two women silently. She wanted, no needed to get some answers about what the hell was going on in this place. The girl had never been so confused before in her life. It seemed like nothing was as it should be now. No-one was as they should be. At the moment Asuka didn't trust anyone, not even Misato. After all, the women had lied to her about Nara and Rei. Asuka's number one reason for being here was to find out what happened to her three friends, all other concerns were secondary.

The elevator finally reached its destination and the door slid open with a minimal amount of noise. Ritsuko was the first to step out, followed quickly by Misato and eventually by Asuka. The door slid shut behind them with as little noise as it had made opening.

Ritsuko spared her two companions only a brief glance before heading off down the corridor. "Come on, there's a lot to show you."

Misato followed without comment. Asuka grunted slightly but followed all the same. The three wound their way through the many twisted corridors. Where Ritsuko was leading them neither Misato nor Asuka knew, but they followed her all the same.

The three eventually arrived on a gantry in the middle of a cavernous chamber. What the chamber contained none of them could see as there was not a single source of illumination in the entire chamber.

Ritsuko pulled a flashlight from her lab coat's pocket and flicked it on, providing a pitifully small beam of light. She aimed the light beam at the wall, just next to the door they had entered through. The light illuminated a small keypad which Ritsuko quickly began typing on, entering a series of commands.

For a moment nothing happened and then lights began to come on all over the place, quickly illuminating the chamber. What the lights revealed left both Misato and Asuka in a state of temporary shock.

The room was full of Evas. A quick count would reveal that there were sixteen in total, sixteen massive Evangelion Units. The Evas almost filled the huge chamber, despite its significant dimensions.

Against the far wall were the nine Seele mass-production Evas that had been deployed during the Third Impact. These Evas were well and truly dead. Many of them had holes in their stomachs were their S2 organs once resided. One of them was in two halves which lent against each other for support. All of them sat slumped against the far wall, unmoving and seemingly forgotten.

In front of these nine Evas and closer to the gantry were seven others. These Evas did not lie slumped but where instead supported by networks of metal and pipes that held them in a standing position. Everyone of these Eva's had a hole in there stomachs, where their S2 organs had been removed. These Evas however were being prepared for replacement S2 organs, so that they could live again.

On the far left stood Unit-18, the Eva seemingly undamaged except for the hole in its chest. All damage from its impalement had been repaired and it was ready for S2 organ installation.

Beside the green Eva stood the form of Unit-15. The blue Eva was not in as good a condition as its neighbour. Its arm had been reattached and its chest was almost entirely repaired but its head was still a shattered mess, held together only by a lattice of metal that surrounded its entire cranium. It was not a pretty sight.

To the right of the two Nerv Evas stood five Evas that were almost identical to the ones at the back of the chamber, except that these ones were slightly larger and sported shoulder baffles. Asuka and Misato remembered these Evas well. These were the Seele Evas who had attacked at the same time as the 20th Angel. Like Units 15 and 18 these Evas were being rebuilt. They were in various states of repair. Two of them were mostly intact, save for the hole in their stomachs and another was in a similar state of repair, though its head had a split down the middle that was only partially repaired. The last two however weren't in too good a shape. The one with the letter D written on its shoulder had numerous small bullets holes covering its face and body, many of them had been almost fully repaired but some of them were still oozing fluid. The last on the five Evas, one that sported the letter B on its shoulder was the most damaged of all. It had a split running all the way from the top its head to its hip, passing through the hole in its stomach. Only the frame that surrounded it held it in one piece, though attempts had obviously been made to repair the wound and it showed some semblance of being able to hold itself together.

Misato quickly recovered from her temporary shock and turned a curious and somewhat angry gaze at Ritsuko. "What exactly is going on here Ritsuko?"

Ritsuko ignored the look she was receiving from Misato but answered nevertheless. "The commander ordered these Evas reconstructed for use in his 'plan'. It was deemed unnecessary to reconstruct the original mass-production Evas but we've been working almost non-stop on the others. We're building replacement S2 organs so that they can be reactivated and on Gendo instructions I have altered all of them for compatibility with IDPS."

Misato seemed confused by the answer. "What's IDPS?"

"It stands for Internal Dummy Plug System. It's a completely inbuilt dummy plug system that allows us to control an Eva without the need of giving it a soul. It would be difficult to explain it to you fully but basically it's a replacement for the Eva's core." Ritsuko spared Asuka a brief glance, wondering why the girl was keeping quiet.

Asuka was keeping quiet because she was still carefully studying the Evas in front of her. Five of these Evas had once been her enemies and three of them she had destroyed herself. So why was Nerv rebuilding them? What did they need them for? On the way back to Central Dogma the previous day and on the trip here today, Ritsuko had explained the recent transformations that Rei, Shinji and Nara had undergone, as well as the origin of the recent Angels. The last thing Ritsuko had told them was that Nara had departed to destroy Seele and put an end to the flow of Angels. So what could the commander possible want with so many Evas? "So what is this 'plan'?"

It took a moment for Ritsuko to realise that Asuka had spoken and the girl had to repeat herself before she understood what had been said. "Even I'm not sure of that Asuka. All I know so far is that it involves these seven Evas as well as two more. Units 20 and 21 are currently in production overseas and will be transported here upon completion."

Asuka only nodded slightly in response, not really satisfied with the answer. It appeared she'd have to figure out some things for herself. Her eyes drifted to eight long red objects leaning against the wall to her right. "What are those doing here?"

Ritsuko looked over at the spears. "Those are all the Longinus Spears we have left. We original had nine, taken from the original mass-production Evas. So far four of them have been destroyed and another two have been sent overseas to equip Units 20 and 21. The other five are those that the more recent mass-production Evas were armed with. Gendo wants all of these Evas to be armed with Longinus Spears, I do not know why. Probably it's simply because they are highly effective weapons."

As Asuka returned to her silent study, Misato turned to Ritsuko and asked the question she had wanted to ask for awhile. "Why are you showing us this Ritsuko? Why are you telling us this?"

Ritsuko signed. "Because you deserve to know, and because I might need your help, if Gendo takes this too far." She turned back to the chamber's entrance and keyed in the command to turn off the lights before heading out the door. "Follow me. I still have much to show you."

(Elsewhere, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Xera moaned loudly as Nara slid deeper into her. She wrapped her arms and legs around the boy's athletic body, holding herself slightly off the ground. Her moan was cut off as Nara caught her lips with his. The grey haired boy quite literally clamped her mouth shut, bruising her lips slightly with the intensity of the kiss. There was pleasure in this certainly. More pleasure than she had expected.

Xera experienced a sudden burst of pain as Nara's member broke through her as yet intact barrier. The pain was almost unbearable, overwhelming the feelings of pleasure she had experienced previously. She released a pained moan into the now even more intensive kiss, fighting off the urge to break away from the boy. The pain wasn't completely unbearable and she wanted this as much as Nara did.

Expecting to have to endure the pain alone, Xera was surprised by Nara's next action. Her link to him flared into life and he took something from her she had not expected. He took away her pain, all of it. The red eyes of her companion immediately opened wide and he broke off the kiss to let out a gasp that seemed to personify the pain he had just experienced.

Xera leant her head back to look into Nara's eyes. "Why did you do that? You didn't have to."

Nara looked down at her, red eyes meeting red eyes. "Because I wanted to. Seeing you in pain, is not something I enjoy."

Xera looked back at the boy silently. Perhaps he did feel something more than lust for her. She was still unsure of her feelings towards him. Just a few hours ago she would gladly have killed him if given the chance, but it was amazing what difference a few hours could make. She wasn't sure if she wanted to kill him anymore, in fact she was almost certain she didn't, but the why of it still eluded her. Did she feel something for him? Something other than the lust she was now giving into.

Nara of course knew the girl's mind. He could read her thoughts with absolute ease, without the need of causing her pain as he had before. He thought they were a strange mimic of his own thoughts. What did he feel for the girl? Was it simple lust or something deeper? Nara wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. He allowed himself to push deeper still into Xera, eliciting another moan of pleasure from the silver haired girl and giving himself pleasure as well. For now at least the question was unimportant, this was what mattered now.

(10 Minutes Later, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Ritsuko had led her two companions to the central chamber of Terminal Dogma, taking the time to explain more about the events of the last few days. Here the battle between Nara and Xera had all but demolished the surroundings. There was not a single pillar left standing and huge sections of wall had been damaged or in some cases completely incinerated by stray energy blasts or physical attacks.

The three females stood on the edge of a particularly large hole in the chamber's wall, one that led straight to a mostly demolished corridor of Terminal Dogma. There attention was focused on the silver form of Unit-04, which dominated the very center of the chamber. Like the other Evas this one was surrounded by scaffolding but unlike them it didn't have a hole in its stomach, although it did appeared that the armour on its stomach had been only recently completed. This Eva appeared more or less complete and ready for combat, although its left arm only reached to just below its elbow and it lacked shoulder baffles.

Misato gave the Eva an expressionless look. She wasn't really surprised to see yet another Eva, though she did wonder why Ritsuko hadn't mentioned it earlier. "A new Eva? You built it pretty quickly."

Ritsuko chuckled slightly, a sound that didn't help her gain Misato's trust. "Actually Misato it isn't new. In fact its one of the oldest Evas we have. This is Unit-04." When she noticed the confused expression on Misato's face she signed and continued. "Remember I told you that Nara had a battle with a girl named Xera, an Angel made by Seele?" She waited for her friend to give an affirmative nod. "Well during that battle Nara apparently used his powers to open up a Sea of Dirac, like the one opened by Leliel. This Sea of Dirac must have been the same one that absorbed Unit-04 more than a year ago. As such he was able to pull Unit-04 back into the real world."

Misato only nodded slightly, trying to comprehend what she had just been told. It wasn't that Misato was stupid or anything, it was just that she had difficulty understanding some of the scientific and mathematical concepts Ritsuko seemed to use in everyday conversation. Right now she was trying to remember exactly what the doctor had told her about these Seas of Dirac when they were battling Leliel.

Asuka processed the information much faster than her guardian. Having listened in on the conversation she chose this point to put her own question to the doctor. "This Eva, you didn't mention it before. Does that mean it's not a part of that assholes plan?"

Ritsuko smiled at the expletive. It seemed it wouldn't be a difficult task at all to turn Asuka against the commander. "I'm not sure Asuka. We can't actually get it to work. It seems that Nara is the only one capable of piloting it. So I'd have to say no."

It was Misato, not Ritsuko who was the first to turn away from the chamber. The major walked resolutely back down the hole. "Come on Ritsuko, you still have to show us the children." In a way she was dreading seeing the teens who had once meant so much to her. She couldn't figure out her feelings towards them now. Ritsuko followed silently, Asuka taking one last look at the colossal Eva before doing the same.

(Elsewhere, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Nara slowly pulled on his shirt and pants from his seated position on the edge of the random assortment of sheets he and Xera had been using as an improvised bed. His eyes were focused on the wall but it was clear that his mind was miles away. Behind him, Xera laid spreadeagled on the sheets, her eyes open and staring vacantly at the ceiling.

Slowly and carefully Xera rose to a seated position and watched as Nara pulled his shirt over his head and down his back. She slowly focused on the link she had with him and attempted to get a read on his emotions. She was not surprised to find him a mass of confusion and uncertainty just like she was.

Near the end of their love making Nara had done something that Xera had never, ever expected him to do. He had released her from his mental control and had re-established the link between them so that she had just as much power as he did. When Xera asked him why, he had not answered, and despite the liberties she was now able to take with the link she could not read his thoughts. They were so jumbled that she doubted even he could make sense of them.

While Xera was thinking about Nara's actions the boy in question turned his head and looked at her with his left eye, he signed slightly. "Get dressed Xera. We still have to finish off the remainder of Seele. When we've done that we can return."

Nara's soft voice broke Xera from her thoughts and she nodded quickly, beginning to pull on her clothes. Before she was even half-way through dressing though Nara opened the door and stepped out, muttering something about being back soon.

As soon as he was outside Nara headed straight for Shinji and Rei's room. And now he supposed it was Naoki's room as well. He reached the room's entrance quickly enough and slammed his hand on the opening mechanism, causing the door to slide away into the wall. Aware that Shinji was now undoubtable aware of his presence, Nara stepped into the chamber.

He was met almost immediately by Shinji, who had risen from where he had been lying next to Rei. The black haired boy blinked slightly upon noticing who it was who had entered the chamber. "Nara, what is it?" He spoke in a half-whisper so as not to disturb Naoki or Rei.

Nara spared Rei and the baby she held in her arms a quick glance before looking back to Shinji. "Our link Shinji, I need you to sever it." He spoke in the same half-whisper.

Shinji blinked in surprise. "Our link? What do you mean?"

"The link that I have with you and Rei, I need you to sever it."

Shinji looked surprised by the request. "Why would you want me to do that?"

Nara signed quietly. "I'm sorry Shinji but I just can't be linked with you anymore."

Shinji nodded slightly in understanding. He could feel the change in Nara's link to Xera. The boy had finally allowed her equal control. Perhaps that was the reason for this decision. Regardless, even if the link wasn't severed Shinji felt certain that Nara would continue to keep it closed so it made sense to simply sever it.

The two didn't speak another word to each other. They simply went about the business of severing the link. Both of them focused their attention on the link and began to force it to close. Shinji made sure to close the part of the link that connected Rei first, so as not to wake the girl when the link was severed. Once the link was closed they made it fold in on itself until it was hardly perceivable and then it disappeared altogether, as if it had never existed. The link between Shinji and Rei remained as it always had but Nara was no longer connected.

Satisfied the grey haired boy turned to leave. "I'm leaving now Shinji. I'll come back once I've finished Seele. Say goodbye to Rei for me." He walked out the door, which slid shut right behind him. Shinji didn't say a word as Nara left.

Nara was unsurprised to find Xera waiting for him outside the room. He had expected that the girl would figure out where he had gone. "We've got one more stop Xera and then we're leaving." The girl only nodded in response and the two headed quickly towards the elevator.

(1 Minute Later, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Ritsuko motioned for Misato and Asuka to wait as she headed further down the corridor they now inhabited and pressed the opening mechanism on a nearby door. The door immediately slid open but the room behind it was empty, save for a pile of sheets that appeared to be slightly soiled. So Nara and Xera had already departed. Ritsuko wasn't really surprised. She hadn't expected the two to stick around for long.

She turned back to her two companions, motioning with her head for them to follow. She turned right into a new corridor and headed to a door halfway up its length. She paused in front of the door but did not open it. Behind this door were Shinji, Rei and Naoki. She wasn't sure if Misato and Asuka were ready for this. She didn't know how they'd react. She didn't know how Shinji and Rei would react either. She signed quietly as the two came to stand behind her. "This is it."

Misato knew what Ritsuko meant. Pushing the woman aside she slammed her hand on the opening mechanism. As the door began to open she briefly considered what she was going to do. These children, especially Shinji, had once meant so much to her but if Ritsuko had been telling the truth then they were the embodiment of the Angel's she hated so much. Was she supposed to love them or hate them?

Asuka watched as the door opened. It seemed she was finally going to see her friends again. Well maybe not all three of them. As far as she could tell from what Ritsuko had said Nara would not be here. Still, she would be seeing Shinji and Rei. Two people who, until recently, she had thought dead. Her emotions were a crazy mix of anticipation and apprehension. How much had they changed? Would they still act the same? Would they still remember her? Would they still be the friends she had known?

The door finally opened completely.

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo's office was full of a suppressive kind of darkness. It filled the entire office, broken only by a single overhead light that had been turned down to minimum illumination. The light revealed the dim outline of Gendo's desk and the figure seated at it. Utter silence ruled the room.

As the figure moved its head, its glasses caught the minimal light and reflected it, creating a slight flash. Gendo's cool voice broke the silence. "Are we in agreement?"

There was a long pause, during which time Gendo stared resolutely into the abyss that seemed to extend from the edge of his desk onwards. He could not see the room's only other occupant but he knew he was there.

Eventually a quite voice issued forth from the darkness, easily heard despite its lack of volume. "Yes, I agree." The voice sounded a little sad but determined nonetheless.

The lack of light hid the smile that crossed Gendo's face. "Good." There was no further response from the darkness and after a moment Gendo heard the sound of the door opening. "Leaving so soon Nara?" The boy did not respond, he simple stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him.

For a moment silence returned to the room but it was soon broken by the low and haunting sound of Gendo's laughter. His plan was finally coming together. It wouldn't be long now. Soon he would achieve his aims.

* * *

End Notes: Well that's it for Chapter 7. I hope you enjoyed it and please review if you have anything to say. I don't mind constructive criticism, even if it may seem a little harsh. As long as I can tell it has been given with good intentions. Oh, and Chapter 8 probable won't be up for a couple of months. Sorry about that. 


	8. The Enemies Within

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Author's Notes: Okay, so here is Chapter 8 of 'The Angels Return', I apologise for how long this chapter took but I've got a lot of other commitments right now. Anyway things start getting darker in this chapter and I apologise to those of you who are going to be mad at me because of this. I promise that this fanfic will ultimately have a happy ending, well sort of happy.

* * *

**8. The Enemies Within**

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji rose to his full height as the door before him opened fully. In his half-sleep he had heard the footsteps and voices before the door began to open. He knew that one of the people outside was Ritsuko and he was almost certain Misato was out there as well.

His suspicions were confirmed when the first person to step through the door was Misato. The woman strode up to Shinji and stood before him, just as she had after the defeat of the 20th Angel. The look in the woman's eyes was hard and cold, the warmth that usually filled them hidden in their depths.

Misato did not say anything so Shinji looked pass her. He first noticed Ritsuko but then he noticed the redheaded girl standing in the doorway. He was surprised to see Asuka and was curious as to why she was here.

Ritsuko seemed to read his mind. "I've told them everything Shinji, or at least almost everything." She paused for a moment. "They deserved to know."

Shinji looked back to Misato, who was still standing right in front of him. So she knew what he was. Shinji knew that Misato hated the Angels. So what would she think of him now? "Do you hate me Misato?"

Misato was taken aback slightly by the question. Did she hate him? He was an Angel, but he was also Shinji, a boy who had been like a son to her. The toughness of her expression quickly dissipated, to be replaced with one of confusion. "I…I don't know, Shinji." She wondered if it was important that she still chose to refer to him as Shinji.

Asuka made an annoyed sound as she listened to the confusion in Misato's voice. She pushed the woman aside slightly and looked Shinji right in the eye. At least this looked like Shinji, wether or not he really was her friend remained to be seen. "Where's Rei?"

"I am here Asuka." Rei slowly rose from where she had been laying on the sheets and turned to face Asuka. As she stepped into the light it was revealed that she still wore no clothes, and she made no attempt to cover up.

Asuka turned to the naked girl, opening her mouth to say something. Her mouth was left gaping open however when she noticed the sleeping child still held in Rei's arms. 'Where had that baby come from? It couldn't be Rei's could it?' Her mouth refused to obey her mental commands to voice such questions out loud.

Rei seemed to understand however. She smiled and held the sleeping child out for Asuka to take. She trusted the oftentimes unpredictable girl. She knew that Asuka wouldn't hurt Naoki. "Asuka, this is Naoki, my baby daughter." The smile she wore was proud.

Asuka still couldn't find any words to speak. She carefully reached out and took the child, hardly even noticing Rei's lack of clothing. The baby girl wiggled slightly in Asuka's arms and her eyes slowly opened, revealing themselves to be a dark red in colour. Noticing the light scattering of blue hairs on the baby's head, Asuka knew that there could be no doubt that this was Rei's daughter. Which meant that Shinji must be the father. Naoki looked up at her with a quizzical expression that only served to amplify her cuteness. Asuka couldn't help but smile down at the child and she finally found the words to talk. "She's beautiful."

Rei smiled as she stepped forward and looked down at her daughter. Naoki noticed her mother and reached up with her little arms, waving them around and repeatable clenching her tiny fists. Rei understood the gesture and lifted Naoki from Asuka's arms, hugging the little girl to her chest. Naoki gurgled happily and tried her best to wrap her arms around her mother, a feat she had no hope of actually achieving.

Misato watched the exchange with a mix of bewilderment and apprehension. So Rei and Shinji had a kid. Misato didn't bother thinking about the medical questions such an event raised. After what Ritsuko had told her she was just about ready to believe these kids could do anything. The thoughts that occupied her head instead focused on the implications of the baby's existence. She couldn't pretend this didn't change things. Watching Rei with her daughter it was hard to think of her as an evil Angel. It was so much easier to see her as the soft-spoken girl she had learned to care for. Looking back to Shinji she noticed that he was no longer looking at her but was instead staring at Rei and Naoki, smiling at the two of them. They made a nice little family, it was almost impossible to see them as Angels. "I don't hate you Shinji." She looked into his eyes as he turned back to her. "Do you hate me?"

Shinji seemed to consider his answer for a moment. "I remember when I first came here Misato. You took me in because you didn't want me to be alone. It was the first time that anyone had shown me real kindness since my mother died. After that, you made me feel welcome and made your apartment my home. That meant a lot to me, and I haven't forgotten it. I may have changed Misato, but my memories still remain. I don't hate you and neither does Rei. We could never hate you."

Rei handed Naoki to Asuka again and stepped forward, towards Shinji and Misato. "For much of the time I knew you Misato, we were not close. I knew you merely as the major. However in more recent times we have had more interaction and you have shown me much kindness. It would be wrong for me to hate you, and so I do not."

Misato's lips slowly turned up into a smile, it was a small smile but a smile nonetheless. "I am glad to know that." And she was glad. Perhaps her greatest fear had been that the two teens would not remember her. That she would be a stranger to them or that they would know her only as the Angels might know her, an enemy.

Behind the three Asuka held Naoki as gently as she could. She was surprised that Rei trusted her so easily with the baby girl. The blue haired girl had handed the baby over almost without looking. Naoki looked up at Asuka with the same quizzical expression she had worn earlier. For the first hour and a half of her life she had been held only by her father and mother, particularly her mother. She had been briefly exposed to some other people but this was the first time she had been held by somebody else. She wasn't uncomfortable in Asuka's arms but she would prefer to be held by Rei.

Asuka wasn't sure what she was supposed to do so she just continued to cradle the girl with her arms, holding Naoki close to but not touching her body. She looked up, her eyes focusing on Shinji and Rei. They had changed so much but she found she didn't care. They were as much her friends now as they were before.

Ritsuko had kept quite up until this moment but as everyone was currently silent she considered this a good time to ask her question. "Where are Nara and Xera?"

Shinji slowly turned his head to face her. "Nara has gone to kill the remaining members of Seele. Xera went with him."

That drew Asuka's attention. "Xera? Wasn't she the Angel Nara fought in Terminal Dogma?"

Shinji turned to her and nodded. "Yes. After their battle Nara partially took control over Xera and she has been helping him track down and kill the members of Seele. He has recently removed his control over her and the two appear to be, close."

Asuka raised an eyebrow as she processed that information. "So you're saying that Nara is in a relationship with a girl who tried to kill him?" Something Ritsuko had told her earlier suddenly clicked in her head. "Wait a second. Ritsuko said you had a link with both Rei and Nara, allowing you to sense their emotions. Shouldn't you therefore be able to know exactly what Nara feels?"

Shinji signed and shook his head. "Unfortunately our link with Nara has been severed. I cannot sense his emotions anymore than I can sense yours. But from his actions I believe he cares for Xera, though I do not know to what extent. She appears to return the feelings to a greater or lesser extent. Again, I cannot be sure."

Ritsuko laughed quietly under her breath. "I looked into their room on the way her. They were not there but their bed appeared _used_."

That sentence could have many meanings but Shinji seemed to pick up on the one that Ritsuko meant. He smiled slightly. "I thought as much. Shortly before our link was severed I felt some very intense emotions from Nara."

Although she had not been awake when the link with Nara was severed, Rei had been aware of the lack since she awoke. It had not been necessary for her to ask Shinji what had happened, she had simply read his mind to find the answer to her unspoken questions. She hoped that Nara returned soon. She was worried that he may have changed more than she expected. Turning away from Misato she reclaimed Naoki from Asuka's arms and cradled the baby in her own. She noted that the redheaded girl seemed uncomfortable with her daughter. Naoki herself seemed ecstatic at being returned to Rei's arms.

A voice from behind interrupted Rei's thoughts. "Rei, can I hold her?" The voice was Misato's.

Rei turned back to Misato, hesitating as she considered wether or not to comply with the woman's request. Misato after all was well known for her hatred of the Angels. Still, the woman's more recent words had reassured the teen and besides she could not do Naoki any harm, Rei would never allow that. Slowly Rei placed Naoki into the lavender haired woman's arms.

Misato had more natural motherly instincts than Asuka and instead of just holding the baby she began to rock it slightly. Naoki clearly found this action soothing as after smiling happily she began to drift off to sleep, her large eyes closing and her breathing becoming steadier. Misato's smile widened as she looked down at the child. "She looks like a miniature version of you Rei. I bet she'll be just like you when she grows up." Misato thought the little girl was the cutest thing she'd ever seen, it was impossible to feel anything but affection towards the now sleeping child.

Misato looked up at Rei, noticing that the girl was not completely at ease with the current situation. She thought it was rather sweet that Rei was so worried about her daughter. She handed Naoki back to Rei, her smile widening when Rei held the baby girl to her chest and Naoki signed happily in her sleep.

While this odd reunion was quite touching even to her, Ritsuko thought it was time to bring everyone's focus back to the problem at hand. "I believe we are all reacquainted now, so perhaps we can get down to business." She looked directly into Shinji's eyes. "We need to discuss the commander's plans and we have little time left." She glanced at her watch. "We have a little under two hours before we have to leave Terminal Dogma."

Shinji returned Ritsuko's steady gaze. "What is my father planning now?"

Ritsuko finally broke the eye contact between her and Shinji, looking away at one of the room's walls. "He has not told me his full plan but I will tell you what I do know. He is reconstructing Units 15 and 18 as well as Units A to E. He has also commissioned the building of Units 20 and 21, which are to be constructed overseas. From what he has told me I believe he plans to use these Evas to defeat you and Rei, and presumable Nara and Xera as well."

Rei turned her attention away from her child and to the doctor. "He will find that Evas are no match for us." Her blue wings suddenly sprung from her back and wrapped around her form, partially covering her nakedness and enclosing Naoki in a warm cocoon. "They will pose no threat."

Ritsuko noted that both Asuka and Misato had taken a step back when Rei's wings had emerged but had stepped forward again when the girl had wrapped them around herself. Despite what they said it was clear they were not completely at ease with Shinji and Rei's new forms. "I am sure that the Evas are only part of his plan. He has also ordered us to finish Unit-04 despite the fact we cannot control it and I know he has sent at least three Nerv agents away on missions. He has not told me the reason for either of these things."

Shinji shrugged. "It hardly matters. Nothing my father can do will stop us, especially with Nara and Xera to back us up. The best he can do is try, and fail." He spread his own wings from his back and left then spread. The black wings made him look highly intimidating.

Ritsuko noted with a trace of humour that Misato had stepped back once again and this time remained further away. Asuka however hadn't budged, evidently not afraid of something she was now familiar with. "Regardless, I believe we should plan against any possible complications. Maybe you are capable of handling whatever surprises Gendo has up his sleeve but can you handle both that and the Evas?"

Shinji did not seem bothered by the looming threat of his father's plan. "As I said we are not under threat. Alone me and Rei can handle anything my father can throw at us. And we're not alone. Nara and Xera can provide all the help we need." He signed though at an unspoken thought from Rei. "But I suppose it would not hurt to be prepared. What do you suggest we do?"

Ritsuko's shoulders moved slightly in the ghost of a shrug. "It is simple. We act as if we know you will be unable to deal with Gendo's Evas. Therefore we prepare to battle them with our own."

Misato gave Ritsuko a quizzical look. "Our own Evas?"

"Yes, those that are not under the control of the IDPS. Those that still have pilots."

Asuka turned a steady gaze on the doctor. "You mean like my Unit-14. You want me to fight these Evas." It was not a question.

Ritsuko looked at the young Eva pilot. "Not just you. I want Touji and Kensuke to back you up. Your three Evas will hopefully be capable of dealing with Gendo's nine."

Asuka let out a bark of laughter. "I don't need the help of those two stooges. I can take out all nine Evas by myself."

Ritsuko smiled. "I don't doubt that Asuka but I think it would be wiser to ere on the side of caution." She paused for a moment in thought. "Touji and Kensuke will have to be informed."

Asuka shrugged. "If you insist. I'll talk to them tomorrow."

Misato smiled slightly at the girl. "I'll take care of that Asuka. I believe this is something I'm more suited for. Those boys will do anything I say." And it was true, Misato was certain that Touji and Kensuke were so infatuated with her that they would hardly even ask any questions if she told them to prepare to battle more Evas.

Rei yawned suddenly. Since her hands were otherwise occupied she didn't cover her mouth. Rei was still feeling drained, both from carrying Naoki and from her daughter's birth just over two hours ago, she was well aware that she still needed to recover energy.

Shinji looked sideways at the girl. He too was well aware that she still needed time to recover and was a little annoyed with the others for interrupting her sleep. "Go back to sleep Rei, I think we're almost done here." He shot a very pointed look at Ritsuko.

Ritsuko bowed her head slightly in acquittance. "I believe we've discussed all we need to for now Shinji. I will however wish to talk to both of you tomorrow." A slight nod was the only response that Ritsuko received but she exited the room all the same.

Misato cast one more glance at the two teens before heading for the door. She paused on the door's precipice. "Thankyou, for remembering." With that she followed the doctor out the door.

Asuka stepped forward and briefly embraced Shinji and then Rei. "I'm glad you guys are still alive." She didn't cry but it was clear that she was close to doing so. Signing, she turned and walked out the door, waving over her shoulder one last time as she did so.

Rei looked down at Naoki and smiled slightly. Her daughter was fast asleep once again, using Rei's chest as an improvised pillow. The new mother still couldn't put into words what she thought about her daughter. She felt as deeply about the child as she did about Shinji. The bond was not the same, but just as strong.

Shinji stepped over to Rei and helped her to lie down on the sheets without disturbing Naoki's sleep. Lying down next to her, he draped one arm other both her and their daughter. Soon Rei had drifted off to sleep and Shinji returned once again to his half-sleep.

(Meanwhile, Seele Conference Room)

Twelve stone obelisks stood in a circle. Eight of these obelisks however were blank, no words or numbers adorning their faces. These obelisks had once represented Seele 05-12 but with the death of these members they were no longer in use.

The remaining four obelisks were adorned as they had always been. Each was printed with the word SEELE, a number and the words 'Sound Only'. They were marked 01-04.

In the center of the obelisks, a three dimensional image showed the interior of a command center. The JSSDF's command center to be exact. The image was a recording of the events surrounding Seele 05's death. It showed everything from the moment Nara stepped into the room to the moment Xera stepped out. When it reached the end it returned to the beginning and played again. The image had originally played with sound but had since been muted so the members of Seele could continue their conference.

The obelisk marked 02 glowed brighter. "There can be no doubt. That boy is Nara Ayanami, the 6th Child. Apparently it is he who has been assassinating our members. It appears that he has undergone the same transformation as Ikari's son and that he is controlling Xera somehow." The image was currently showing Xera's failed attack on Nara.

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "We knew he wasn't normal from the start. He was said to be the brother of the 1st Child so we can assume he was created just like her." He paused for a moment. "It might be that the 1st Child has undergone the same transformation."

The obelisk marked 04 glowed brighter. "That is not important now. What is important is that we stop this boy before he can kill the rest of us."

The obelisk marked 02 glowed brighter. "And how do you suggest we do that. He's proven himself completely immune to conventional weaponry."

"Perhaps we need only to distract him long enough for Xera to finish the job."

"She is clearly incapable of finishing the job, or else she would have done so earlier."

The obelisk marked 01 glowed brighter, cutting off the developing argument between Seele 02 and Seele 04. "It is still possible for us to stop him. We need only be prepared for his arrival and strike when he least expects it. We have the necessary weapon."

The obelisk marked 03 glowed brighter. "You know that weapon is untested, it may very well not work at all."

"It will work…it has to."

(5 Minutes Later, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Asuka stepped back into her room and threw herself onto the mattress she had been provided in place of a bed. After leaving Shinji and Rei, Ritsuko had shown her and Misato the room where the IDPS was constructed and the testing room for Shinji, Rei and Nara. Nether had interested Asuka, she was still thinking about her two friends and their daughter.

How exactly Naoki had appeared so quickly, Asuka didn't know, and she didn't care either. That Naoki existed at all was what interested her. Like Misato, she had been worried that Rei and Shinji would be corrupted by the Angels that were a part of them but found such a thing impossible to believe when she saw the two with their daughter.

Asuka's thoughts slowly turned to Nara. She still wanted to see the boy, to make sure that he was alive. After all he had been her friend too and she had been sad when she heard he was dead. However, it looked like she was going to have to wait to see the boy again. He was too busy killing Seele with the help of Xera.

Xera, a girl who had apparently once intended to kill all of them but now appeared to be inseparable from Nara. Asuka couldn't understand how such a thing could possible have happened. How do you go from hating someone to liking them in the space of a few days? She was going to have to meet this Xera, whenever she got the chance.

As her eyes began to close, Asuka briefly thought about Touji and Kensuke and the part they would have to play in Ritsuko's plan. She didn't always get along with those two but she didn't want them to die either. She'd have to watch their backs in the coming battle, or at they just might wind up dead.

(Several Hours Later, American Seat of Government)

Xera followed Nara down a long white corridor, heading towards an as yet undisclosed destination. They were walking through the building that served as the seat of government in the USA. This building had replaced The White House, which had been destroyed in the aftermath of the Second Impact.

Why Nara hadn't simply levelled the entire building, Xera was not sure. It seemed liked the most effective thing to do, though the girl had come to realise that her male companion enjoyed being face-to-face with someone when he killed them.

Three men dressed in black suits stepped into the hallway in front of them and the middle one held up his hand in the universal gesture to stop. "Stop right there you two, this area is out of bounds to civilians."

Nara made a slight dismissive gesture with his hand and the man was cut in half with his AT field. The other two men swore and immediately drew their pistols, firing a few shots at Nara. The bullets collided harmlessly with the protective barrier of his AT field.

Nara held up his hand and spread his fingers, rage flickering across his face. "Anyone who gets in my way will be destroyed!"

(Meanwhile, Another Part of the Building)

The president of the United States of America sat behind his desk and looked through the latest report that had been placed before him. The money he had been forced to siphon out of the country's economy to fund the construction of Unit-21 had caused yet another riot, this time in Chicago. Damn Nerv, how many Evas could they possible need.

The president's attention was distracted by the sound of gunshots. He immediately rose to his feet and four special service agents rushed through the door and towards his desk.

The agents however never reached his desk. A beam of energy shot through the office's wall and incinerated the men completely, leaving smoke and debris in its wake. A figure stepped into the room through the newly created hole. As the smoke began to clear, the president saw that the intruder was a tall, grey haired boy.

Nara glanced at his surroundings as he stepped into the room, his eyes lingering slightly on the man standing behind the room's only desk but moving on regardless. He wasn't here.

The president cleared his throat as he got his fear in check. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" He noticed a silver haired girl step into the room behind the boy.

Nara spared the president another brief glance, making sure the man noticed his red eyes. "I'm not here for you. Stay out of my way and I might just let you live."

The president straightened his shoulders haughtily and was about to respond when for the second time his door was flung open. Two men ran into the room. One was his personnel advisor. The other was a secret service agent carrying a very strange gun.

The gun was a large rifle, covered in glowing lights and large pipes. It looked like something taken out of an over-the-top sci-fi novel. The agent carrying it immediately aimed it at Nara's chest.

Nara smiled slightly and made a slashing gesture with his hand. His AT field raced out in an arc, colliding with and cutting straight through the man's midriff. As the agent's body convulsed however his finger depressed on the trigger.

A long and vicious looking bullet burst out of the chamber and raced towards Nara. Who simply raised his left hand with inhuman speed and placed it between himself and the approaching projectile, just in front of his face.

Bare milliseconds after it had been fired the bullet impacted against Nara's hand…and tore right through it. Nara's left eye only had time to widen slightly before the bullet ploughed into it and burst out of the back of his skull. The impact flung Nara's head backwards, turning his face towards the ceiling.

Nara roared like a wounded beast and placed his injured hand over the now shattered left side of his face. Blood poured out from behind and around the hand. Small pieces of his skull fell to the ground along with a torrent of blood and brain matter from the back of his head.

The president's advisor dove for the gun as it dropped to the floor but was foiled as Xera's arms elongated and snatched the weapon away from him.

Nara's head snapped back to its usual position and stepping forward, he reached down and grabbed the advisor by the collar and lifted him up off the ground, holding him at arms length with his feet dangling just above the ground. He growled deeply. "Of all the members of Seele, you are the first to actually injure me…Seele 03." The flow of blood began to dry up and the wound in his hand healed over.

Nara smiled slightly as he lowered his hand, revealing the hole that went all the way through his head. Even as Seele 03 watched however the hole began to diminish in size and the blood and gore on Nara's face actually seemed to flow back into the wound. The bullet hole was beginning to regenerate, fast.

The last thing to regenerate was Nara's left eye, it had been almost completely obliterated by the bullet and was a rather complex piece of anatomy besides. As the eye approached completion the iris began to appear. Strangely however it was not red. It was blue. Nara now had two eyes that were distinctly different colours.

During the process Seele 03's expression changed from one of fear, to one of absolute terror. "You won't learn anything from me."

Nara clenched his left fist and generated a blade before ramming it through Seele 03's chest. "I already have." He released the man's shirt and allowed him to drop to the ground, watching as he shifted and gasped for a few seconds then went limp. Turning away from the body, Nara looked directly at Xera. "That gun, destroy it."

Xera nodded slowly and with one violent twist broke the gun into three pieces. Allowing the pieces to fall to the floor, she looked directly into Nara's eyes, wondering why his left eye had turned blue. There didn't seem to be any rational explanation for it. "What now?"

Nara raised his hand and blasted a hole through the room's outside wall, revealing the large park grounds outside. The blast only barely missed the president. Nara didn't respond to Xera's question but simply began to hover off the ground before flying out the hole. Xera spared the now completely terrified president a single glance before following Nara out the hole and flying off into the sky.

(Meanwhile, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Gendo and Fuyutsuki stood on the gantry overlooking the room in which the Evas were being reconstructed. Below them, Nerv technicians were scurrying over and around Unit-15, Unit-18 and the five Seele Evas. Ritsuko was on the floor, overseeing the installation of Unit-18's S2 organ. Soon the green Eva would be complete and ready for combat and Ritsuko had promised Gendo that the others would be close behind.

Gendo smiled slightly as he watched the work going on below. "As soon as these Evas are finished we will be ready to begin. Shinji will not stand a chance."

Unlike Ritsuko, Fuyutsuki was completely aware of Gendo's plans. "I still do not see the point of this Gendo. Shinji and you seem to be working towards the same end, so why try to stop him?"

Gendo turned a very stern gaze on Fuyutsuki. "Because, Shinji has already betrayed me once. I will not allow him to do it again. I will not trust him to follow through on his promise. What if he decides to do things differently? I will be left with nothing."

Fuyutsuki didn't respond he just looked back to the floor below. He knew Gendo was being paranoid. Shinji had absolutely no reason to betray his father. They both wanted the same thing. The same end result. A new Third Impact. His long time friend had nothing to gain from this plan of his, and everything to lose.

Perhaps he really could win but where would that get him. The new Third Impact would be far more difficult to achieve without Shinji and Rei to shape it. Gendo might lose everything he had been working for.

Below the two Ritsuko was instructing a group of technicians to be careful as they operated a large forklift like vehicle which was in the process of pushing Unit-18's S2 organ into the Eva's chest cavity. "Be careful with that. If it breaks, the commander will not be happy."

Even as she spoke Ritsuko was typing at her keyboard with her right hand. She was trying to activate the S2 organ's self-destruct. Not for immediate detonation but to explode after a specified time had passed. She didn't want to be anywhere near an S2 organ when it went off. Unfortunately she was not having any success. The MAGI were blocking her commands and any attempts to enter their subroutines would have been detected and immediately reported to the commander. Damn her mother for building the MAGI so well.

Ritsuko swore quietly under her breath. She had already done all that she could to slow done the completion of these Evas but her machinations had bought a day at most. She trusted less than a third of the technicians under her to willingly work at less than their full ability and not tell the commander about it. Of those, less than half were capable of doing so without being so obvious so as to alert the commander to their actions. That meant that over five sixths of the technicians were working at maximum efficiency and even with her taking twice as long to do things as she usually did they were still more or less on schedule.

Gendo looked down at Ritsuko from the gantry. "Are we progressing on schedule doctor?"

Ritsuko turned away from her underlings and looked up at Gendo. "Almost sir. We've encountered a few minor setbacks but we're behind by little more than a day. All Evas should be completed within the next four days."

Gendo nodded slightly. "That is acceptable. Continue doctor."

Ritsuko turned back to her team of technicians and started yelling orders again. Beside her Maya was typing furiously at her keyboard. The younger woman was checking the readings coming from the S2 organ and secretly trying to figure out a way to sabotage it without being detected, as her sempai had asked her to do. Unfortunately she was having no more success than Ritsuko.

(2 Hours Later, Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Asuka, Touji and Kensuke stood before their respective simulation plugs, awaiting the command to enter. Misato stood behind them, looking at the large computerised screen dominating one of the room's walls. They were all just standing there and waiting.

Finally the door to the room opened and Ritsuko stepped in, she looked directly at the three pilots. "Get in the plugs. I haven't been able to fully restore the simulation system so I won't be able to generate any virtual enemies. It will just be you three."

Asuka quirked an eyebrow slightly. "Then who are we going to fight?"

Ritsuko's expression remained placid. "I would have thought that was obvious. You're going to fight each other."

Both Touji and Kensuke blanched but Asuka smiled wickedly. She turned to her two fellow pilots. "It was nice knowing you two stooges." She laughed slightly and stepped into her simulation plug, followed quickly by the somewhat less enthusiastic Touji and Kensuke.

As they entered Ritsuko called out to them one last time. "Oh, you're not getting any weapons except your progressive knives as there's no guarantee you'll be able to use any in the next battle."

Inside the plugs the usual series of colours and lights flashed by and the three pilots found themselves within the entry plugs of virtual copies of Units 14, 16 and 17 respectively.

Ritsuko had managed to activate the program subroutine that simulated the destruction that would be caused if Sahaqiel collided with Tokyo-3. As such the simulated battlefield was similar, though not identical, to the current condition of Tokyo-3. Namely that it was nothing but a giant crater.

Unit-14 looked to its right where Units 16 and 17 stood. Asuka's calm voice came over the intercom. "You two better start running because I'm coming after you in thirty seconds."

Kensuke gulped. "You're kidding right?"

"Kensuke, when was the last time I kidded around with you?"

Kensuke laughed nervously. "I'd have to say never."

Inside her entry plug, Asuka smiled. "So what makes you think I'm kidding now?"

Touji's voice came over the intercom. "I think it's probably hope."

Asuka allowed a slight hint of mirth to creep into her voice. "You have twenty seconds."

Neither of the two boys said anything further. Their Evas took off at a run, trying to put as much distance between themselves and Unit-14 as they could in twenty seconds.

An image of Misato's face appeared on Asuka's view screen and her voice came other the Eva's intercom. "You know Asuka no-one said that you had to take both Touji and Kensuke on. You three could have just had a free for all."

Asuka smiled at Misato's comment. "I'm just trying to make things fair. Although those two are still totally outmatched."

Misato chuckled slightly. "Just go easy on them Asuka."

"This is a battle simulation Misato. I have to make things realistic." Asuka guessed it had been about twenty seconds since Touji and Kensuke ran off so she set off in pursuit. "Don't worry. I won't cause any permanent brain damage or anything."

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Misato smiled humorously as she looked to Ritsuko. "How long do you think its going to take her?"

Ritsuko grinned as she looked at the screen wall. "Her sync ratio has already reached 100, so not very long." On the screen Unit-14 was running so fast its outline was visibly blurred and it left a large, twisting smoke trail in its wake.

(Virtual Battlefield)

Kensuke was pushing his Eva as hard as he could, racing across the battlefield in an attempt to escape from the red Eva he knew was following him. This was a simulation so Kensuke wasn't afraid, well not really. It was hard not to be at least a little afraid of his fiery fellow pilot, especially when it came to battles, even virtual ones.

Kensuke's thoughts drifted away from Asuka and onto the discussion he and Touji had had this morning with Misato. The information she had given them had been a lot to swallow but it had filled both him and Touji with a strange sort of determination. They were going to fight and they were going to win.

To the left and a little ahead of Kensuke's Unit-17 was Touji's Unit-16. The white Eva had started off running slightly faster than its black counterpart but Touji had slowed it down so as not to leave Kensuke behind. Inside the Eva's entry plug Touji was considering the information Misato had given him. So he wasn't piloting a dead person's Eva as he had thought, and neither was Kensuke. Rei, Nara, even Shinji, they were all still alive. Neither Touji nor Kensuke doubted that Misato was telling them the truth, but the ramifications of their friends' continued existence and their true identities were still taking time to sink in.

As the two teens dwelled on their thoughts a red blur shot between them and, spinning around, came to a stop roughly twenty meters in front of them, throwing up a huge dust cloud in the process.

As the dust cleared Unit-14 rose from the crouch it had lowered into as it spun. It reached up to its shoulder baffle and removed its progressive knife, visibly preparing to attack the other two Evas. Units 16 and 17 deployed their own progressive knives and prepared for the inevitable charge.

Inside Unit-14 Asuka allowed a small smile to show on her face. "Goodbye stooges." Unit-14 leapt towards the two opposing Evas.

(Meanwhile, Berlin)

Seele 02 ran full pelt down a twisting side street of the German capital, desperately trying to escape his pursuers. He had thought he could simply meld into the general populace and vanish from the public eye, ensuring his survival in his unimportance. Unfortunately for him, the ploy hadn't worked and he was now being hunted through the streets of the city by assassins who could not be stoped.

Hurtling around the side of a building, Seele 02 began to push through a large group of people. Suddenly he caught a hint of black light to his right and immediately dove to the floor. A beam of black energy shot over his head, missing him by less than an inch and cutting straight through the pack of people. Ignoring the screams Seele 02 rose to his feet once again and continued to run.

The terrified man ran towards a subway entrance, hoping to lose his pursuers in the twisted passageways beneath. His entrance was blocked however as a massive cross-flare erupted right before him and incinerated the subway entrance whole, taking out several frightened civilians in the process.

Half falling over, Seele 02 turned as quickly as he could and scrambled away from the cross-flare only to encounter another one on the other side of the street, then another one, then another one. Soon he found himself surrounded by massive black cross-flares.

Seele 02 searched desperately for a path of escape and was rewarded when he noticed a gap in the circle of cross-flares. He was acting too much on instinct to realise the obvious conclusion that could be drawn from such a gap. Namely that it had been left intentionally.

Running as fast as he could, Seele 02 rushed through the gap and into the side street that lay beyond. He hadn't taken three steps before he came face to face with Xera. The girl raised her left arm and generated a long, black blade. Running on pure adrenaline, Seele 02 leapt to his left and through an open doorway just as Xera brought her arm swinging down. She missed the man completely but her AT field expanded out from her blade and cut a nearby building in two, sending the top half crashing to the street below.

Inside the building he had leapt into, Seele 02 rose to his feet and continued to run. He burst from a door on the other side of the building and ran down a long, twisted street. He saw a flash from the corner of his eye and instinctively jumped sideways. He didn't move fast enough however and his left arm and part of his side was seared off by an energy blast that raced past him and collided with a building down the street, blowing it apart and sending debris cascading to the ground all around it.

Crying out in pain, Seele 02 fell to the ground and turned over to look up at who had maimed him. It was Nara, standing above him with right hand extended and pointed towards him. "Go ahead, finish it."

Nara smiled maliciously. "It has been fun Seele 02. I enjoyed playing games with you. But now it must end." He fired another energy beam and blasted the hapless man's head apart.

Xera dropped from the sky and landed beside the boy. "There is only one remaining now."

Nara nodded. "Yes, only one." He turned his attention away from the girl as a bullet impacted against the side of his head, breaking itself apart against his AT field. At the end of the street a police car had pulled up and its passenger had just taken a shot at him. As he watched more and more police cars pulled up all around them and police piled out of them before opening fire.

At first Nara observed their useless attempts with a hint of mirth but then thoughts that were not his own came unbidden to his head. These people were Lilim. The Lilim were his enemies. They all deserved to die! He should destroy them all! Nara's expression quickly changed to one of indescribable anger and hate. He raised both arms up before him and began to focus his AT field into a bubble. Bits of his own skin broke off and fused themselves into the bubble. He spread his wings and levitated high off the ground. The Lilim would pay for what they had done to him!

(Virtual Battlefield)

Unit-17 ducked, just barely avoiding a swing from Unit-14's progressive knife. Kensuke was caught however by Asuka's follow up attack. Unit-14's knee collided with his Eva's head, driving it backwards.

Asuka was about to jump the stumbling Unit-17 but was stopped by Unit-16, which lunged at her Eva from the side. Unit-14 back-flipped and avoided the white Eva's attack but was forced to break off its assault on Unit-17.

Pressing his attack, Touji drove his progressive knife towards the red Eva's chest. Asuka reacted quickly however and spun around, grabbing Unit-16's arm in a vicelike grip and twisting. There was a loud snapping sound as the arm broke.

Touji cried out in pain and stumbled backwards, barely managing to avoid a close-range sweep from Unit-14's progressive knife. He managed to lash out and connect with his Eva's left leg, temporarily halting any further attack from Asuka's Eva.

While this was happening, Unit-17 rose to its feet and charged Unit-14 from behind. Asuka saw the attack coming however and Unit-14 dropped into a crouch. Extending its right leg it swung around and sent the black Eva crashing to the ground. Deploying its wings, Unit-14 took to the sky, avoiding the white Eva that had tried to tackle it from behind.

Unit-14 back-flipped in mid-air, smashing its foot into Unit-16's head and driving the Eva crashing to the ground just like its team-mate. Twisting around and retracting its wings, Unit-14 landed on top of the half-risen Unit-17, driving the Eva back to the ground. Without hesitation Asuka brought her Eva's fist crashing down on the prone Eva's chest, crushing its S2 organ and disconnecting Kensuke from the simulator.

Whirling around, Asuka let fly with her progressive knife, sending it hurtling into Unit-16's neck. The white Eva had been closing in on Unit-14 but now stoped in its tracks and reached for the blood-soaked knife buried in its flesh.

Asuka dove for Touji's Eva but was thwarted when Unit-17 spread its wings and took to the sky. That was until Asuka managed to catch the opposing Eva's foot. Utilising much of her Eva's strength she brought Unit-17 crashing down to the ground, breaking the ground apart with the force of its impact.

Inside Unit-17's entry plug Touji watched as Unit-14 stepped forward, ready to finish him off. He had lost hold of his progressive knife when the red Eva smashed his Eva into the ground and was sure he stood no chance against Asuka. He reached behind his chair and pulled on the handle located their. Both Evas disappeared in a glowing white ball and both pilots were disconnected from the simulator.

(Meanwhile, Berlin)

Xera watched Nara take off, her attention focused on the bubble he had formed before him. She had no idea what he was doing. She had never seen this attack before. She didn't even know if it was an attack. Regardless she spread her own wings and followed the boy into the sky. She didn't want to be in his line of fire.

Nara stopped roughly a hundred meters above the city, the police below still shooting at him. Some of them were beginning to use assault rifles and SMGs. Bits of his skin continued to flow into the bubble along with streams of his blood. Eventually he stoped, the now considerable larger AT field bubble floating in the air below him. The damage he had caused to his body quickly healed over and he raised both arms above his head. As Xera arrived at his level he brought both arms swinging down and sent the bubble hurtling towards the ground.

The bubble approached the city rapidly, heading straight for the policemen who had been shooting at Nara and who were now shooting at the bubble itself. The shots however had no affect on the bubble and before the policemen even had time to move, it crashed to the ground in the center of the mass of men and cars. It detonated on impact.

There was a bright flash of light that obscured everything from sight and a nanosecond of unbearable heat, then…nothing. There was no smoke, no screaming, just…nothing. Less than a second had passed in total since the blast's beginning but everything had changed in that time.

Nara and Xera were left floating over a giant crater, some twenty miles in radius. Of the buildings, vehicles and people that had been caught in the explosive radius, there was no trace remaining, everything had been destroyed.

Xera slowly lowered her arms from where she had instinctively raised them to protect herself moments before the bubble had hit the ground. She had felt the wave of heat rush over her but fortunately it had been too weak to break through her AT field, leaving her fully intact. She slowly turned her head and looked at Nara, who still floated beside her. "What did you do?"

Nara remained silent for a long moment, staring at the crater below. His attention slowly turned to the craters edge and the surrounding city, what was left of Berlin. People were rushing out onto the streets and standing at the craters edge. Some with sharper eyes pointed at him and Xera. He wasn't exactly sure why he had done what he did, but he felt no remorse, no guilt. Every day that passed he was becoming more and more like the Angels whose souls inhabited him. A killing machine. His soul and those of the Angels were intrinsically linked now and he could constantly feel their presence nagging at the back of his mind. He had to fight just to keep his sanity.

Nara finally realised that Xera had spoken to him and turned to her, he didn't answer her question however he just looked at her silently a moment. When he eventually spoke, it had nothing to do with her question. "I am not positive of Seel 01's location. I can narrow it down but it may take us a while to find him."

Xera nodded slightly in response. "We should get started then." Although it didn't show in her voice, she was worried about the boy. She briefly wondered why it was that she felt that she should worry about the boy's well being. Why he should mean anything to her. As yet, she had no answer. The two teens took off towards the horizon.

(Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Asuka glared angrily at Touji as she emerged from her simulation plug. "What the hell was that Suzuhara!? Who the hell said you were allowed to self-destruct!?"

Touji gave her a slightly confused look. "Jeez Asuka, it's just a simulation."

Asuka's expression did not soften. "If you do that in the real battle I'll kill you myself." She ignored the stupidity of that statement.

Touji looked surprised by her outburst. "Asuka, I only did that because it was a simulation. I wouldn't do it in real life."

Misato placed a reassuring hand on Asuka's shoulder, stoping the girl from responding. "Regardless Touji, I think I'll ban using self-destruct from now on. We're not training to die."

Touji nodded slowly, still a little shocked at the commotion he'd caused. When Misato turned her attention to Kensuke the glasses wearing boy nodded as well, almost as shocked with the situation as Touji. It dawned on the two boys then just how serious this was. They were going to be heavily outnumbered in the coming battle and there was a good chance that they'd be killed if they weren't ready. Both decided to be completely serious from now on.

Ritsuko stepped forward, drawing the attention of the room's other occupants. "Get back in the plugs you three. We're not done training yet."

Touji and Kensuke groaned but entered their simulation plugs nonetheless. Asuka entered her plug silently, still annoyed with how the last battle had ended.

(1 Hour Later, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji leant against the wall of his room, holding Naoki gently in his arms. Both he and his daughter were watching Rei as she pulled on her body-suit.

Rei had slept half the day away but was now fully reenergised and ready to do more than just sleep continually. She finally finished pulling on her suit and zipped it up with the help of her stretching arms. Stepping forward she kissed Shinji gently on the lips before bending down and placing a light kiss on Naoki's forehead. The little girl smiled happily at the action and reached out with her arms. Smiling, Rei lifted the child from Shinji's arms and hugged her gently.

Although she seemed quite happy to be held by her mother again, Naoki gripped Rei's suit with her fists and appeared to be trying to remove it. Evidently she preferred being held by Rei when the girl was naked. Shinji was inclined to agree with the preference. "She doesn't like the suit Rei."

Rei looked up at him, smiling happily. "She'll have to grow use to it. I'm not walking around naked all day."

Shinji returned the smile. "Why not, there's no-one else here but me and Naoki. Besides, you've never had a problem with being naked before."

Rei's expression became slightly sterner. "I do not believe my daughter should grow too attached to my naked self."

Shinji wasn't sure if he agreed with Rei's logic but he wasn't going to argue with the girl. "Okay Rei, have it your way. Keep the suit."

Rei leaned forward and kissed Shinji's lips again. "Thankyou Shin-chan."

Shinji looked down at Naoki, resting happily against Rei's breasts. "It's too bad she won't get a chance at a truly normal life."

Rei looked down at the little girl. "We will give her the best we can and until them we will do what we can to make her happy. She seems happy enough now. The advantage of a baby I suppose, they're quite easy to please."

Shinji signed as he stroked the back of Naoki's head, causing the baby girl to make a soft sort of signing noise. "When we averted Third Impact we bought one year. In five days that year will be up and Third Impact will return. We need to be ready."

Rei turned around and leant against Shinji, who was still leaning against the wall. "We're already ready Shinji. The only problem now is the commander's plan."

Shinji wrapped his arms around Rei, holding her gently against him. "We need to talk about Nara. There is definitely something wrong with him, he has changed so much from his original self. He has become…darker."

Rei nodded solemnly. "I worry that we should have spoken to him earlier. We know he did not want our help, but that doesn't mean he didn't need it."

Shinji seemed deep in though for a moment. "Rei, can you sense Lilith within you?"

Rei nodded slowly, although Shinji was not really in a position to properly see the action. "Yes, I can sense her as a sort of nagging presence at the back of my mind. She's easy to ignore most of the time, though occasionally I feel her presence strengthen. It is nothing I cannot handle however. I am in full control." She paused for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

Shinji took a moment to respond, a now deeply worried expression on his face. "It is the same with me and Adam. Nothing more than a presence. Easily controlled. I wonder though, would it be as easy for Nara?"

Rei closed her eyes for a moment as she felt Shinji's thoughts across their link. The boy was troubled, as was she. Nara had been, should still be, their best friend. And yet he had asked for their link to be severed and had not appeared to want to engage in an extended conversation with them. There was only one explanation for these actions that immediately came to mind and neither Shinji nor Rei liked it.

The two were broken from their thoughts as Naoki made a slight whimpering sound and tried to bury her head further into Rei's chest. She was linked to both her parent's and she could fell their heightened emotions. She did not understand nor comprehend the reasons for these emotions but she knew she did not like them. She wanted them to go away.

A cry of distress escaped from Rei's lips when she realised what had happened and she immediately lifted Naoki up to eye level. "Be calm Naoki-chan. We are sorry, we did not mean for you to feel those things." She kissed the baby girl lightly on the cheek and smiled as best she could.

Naoki calmed down visibly, though she still looked slightly less happy than she had previously. While they had been sleeping Rei had been subconsciously transmitting a constant wave of love and affection to the little girl and the sudden change had not been appreciated.

Shinji gently rubbed Rei's arms and sides, trying to calm her down. The calmer Rei and he were the calmer Naoki would be so it was important that she stoped worrying about what had happened. Naoki was only a baby. She would soon forget the emotions she had been exposed to and be happy once again.

Slowly Rei calmed down, even more so when Naoki drifted back off to sleep. It was amazing how much the child slept. She didn't even require sleep but she evidently enjoyed it very much, as so far she had spent almost her entire life in this state.

Shinji smiled when he noticed that Naoki was asleep once again and kissed Rei lightly on her head. "I love you Rei-chan."

Rei smiled brightly but didn't turn around. "It's been awhile since you've said that."

Shinji raised an eyebrow slightly. "Really, well I suppose I should say it more often then. Things have just been so chaotic lately."

Rei laughed slightly. "Don't worry about it, I know how you feel, I can read your mind remember." She turned around to face the boy, still holding Naoki against her chest. "I love you too Shin-chan."

Shinji bent down and the two kissed passionately, being extra careful to not crush Naoki between them while holding the kiss for at least five minutes, taking full advantage of not having to breath.

When the two finally broke Rei had a rather dreamy expression on her face. She licked her wet lips. "Thankyou Shin-chan, I needed that."

Shinji smiled at her. "I think we both needed that. Come on, let's go for a stroll." He gently gripped her hand and pulled her out the door. The two of them had been coped up in this room for too long, they needed a chance to stretch their legs. Shinji and Rei left the room hand-in-hand, Naoki still sleeping against Rei's chest, supported by Rei's free arm.

As they walked down the corridor outside, Rei asked Shinji a question that had been nagging at her for some time. "Why do we not attack your father's Evas now, before they are complete?"

Shinji took a moment to respond. He had considered the same thing, but he knew it could not be done. "We cannot risk a confrontation before the designated day of Third Impact. If we are forced to start sooner that expected, the results could be…disastrous. Everything could be destroyed." He reached over and stroked her hair lightly. "We're going to have to wait."

Rei nodded and smiled slightly at Shinji's action. "Then we will wait. Wait and see what happens." She paused for a moment. "Shinji, promise me something."

Shinji continued to stroke Rei's hair. "Anything Rei-chan." He meant it too. He would do anything she asked of him.

Rei looked at him, her eyes sad. "Don't blow yourself up. I couldn't go through that again." A few tears began to flow down her cheeks. "It would…kill me." She made sure that Naoki did not feel the sadness or fear she was currently experiencing.

Shinji's expression turned serious and he drew Rei into an embrace. "I won't do that again Rei, I promise. And I'm sorry I did it before. I never meant to hurt you." He gently pressed his lips to hers.

As the two kissed Rei's tears slowly dried up and disappeared. She knew Shinji would do everything within his power to keep his promise. She just hoped that was enough. Happily oblivious, Naoki slept on in her mother's arms.

(3 Days Later, Tokyo-2)

Keel Lorenz walked confidently down the main street of Tokyo-2. His signature visor was missing, having been replaced by a pair of seemingly average sunglasses. The sunglasses however were far from normal. They contained the necessary technology to allow him to view visual images such as text and video files without anyone else being able to see, the same function his visor had originally performed for him. He had gotten rid of the visor because it was a distinguishing feature of his. Its loss, along with a change to more casual clothes and a complete shaving of his head made him very difficult to identify.

Keel had always been a powerful man. After his father's unfortunate and untimely death he had inherited the man's vast computer hardware empire, Lorenz Technologies. He had spent a great deal of his life making the company bigger and better than his father had left it, branching out into all areas of electronics and quickly becoming one of the largest companies in the world. Lorenz Technologies had eventually moved into the area of weapon's research and construction, becoming the number one supplier of many of the world's most powerful nations.

When Second Impact occurred Lorenz Technologies had been perfectly positioned to wreak the benefits of the world-wide catastrophe. In the ensuing conflict they provided weapons to all sides and received a huge influx of cash. Keel had quickly become the richest and most influential man in the world and had founded Seele in conjunction with the UN. Making himself Seele 01, he decided that he should be the one to decide human fate and had acted accordingly, manipulating entire nations as he saw fit. All in the quest for one ultimate goal. His Third Impact. The Human Instrumentality Project.

He had failed though, his dreams of a perfect world where everyone was one being and one mind had been crushed. All his machinations had been unravelled and Seele had been hunted down and destroyed. He was the only one left know and he had been forced to abandon his global empire for the chance of survival. His identity was a secret to all but a few and no-one ever knew his exact location. Even as the head of a massive company like Lorenz Technologies he had remained a mysterious and aloft man, making a point of not frequenting any of his company's headquarters. Despite this however he feared greatly the possibility of Nara Ayanami tracking him down and believed that disappearing completely into the masses was the only way to avoid his death at the hands of the boy. He had had himself flown to Tokyo-2, currently the most overcrowded city in the world due to the recent arrivals from the evacuated Tokyo-3, and was currently in the process of losing himself in the crowd.

Perhaps things would sort themselves out and he could return to his mansions one day, but for know he would start a new life as an everyday citizen. As he pushed his way further into the crowded street he failed to notice that he was being watched.

(Meanwhile, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Misato paced her chamber worryingly, waiting for her friend to arrive. If what Ritsuko had told her earlier was correct, the IDPS Evas would soon be complete and the commander would be ready to carry out his plan. The problem was that Misato and Ritsuko weren't ready yet. They needed more time. The major's attention was drawn to the door as it slid open and Ritsuko stepped into the chamber. "You're late."

The doctor grunted. "Ten minutes Misato. I'm only ten minutes late. I doubt waiting that long could kill you." Her face turned more serious. "Unit-D is now complete and its S2 organ has been successfully installed. That leaves only Unit-15 and Unit-B and they will be completed by mid-day tomorrow."

Misato took the information without changing her facial expression. "Then we'll have to be ready. When are we expecting the arrival of Units 20 and 21?"

"Not for another two days. I suppose the most likely situation is that Gendo will wait for their arrival before commencing with his plan. Which means we have two days to prepare." Ritsuko brushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "At most."

The action drew Misato's attention to the doctor's hair and she noticed for the first time that it was losing its blonde colour. Streaks of brown were beginning to show through and those parts of her hair that were still blonde were slowly fading. "Your dye's running out."

Ritsuko snorted. "That tends to happen when the city you live in gets blown up. We have more important things though to talk about now Misato. Like how are we going to stop the commander from deactivating the other Eva units?"

Misato blinked. "What? Deactivate?" She wasn't sure what Ritsuko was trying to say but she knew it wasn't good.

Ritsuko made a sound that was halfway between a grunt and a sign. It sounded vaguely insulting. "Did you think he was just going to forget about Units 14, 16 and 17? He knows they're a threat. He's ordered me to drain the energy reserves from their S2 organs and deactivate their command systems."

Misato's eyes widened slightly. "You can't do that! We need those Evas to fight!"

Ritsuko shot an annoyed glare at her long-time friend. "Don't you think I know that Misato! I'm trying to figure out a way around it!" She paused for a moment then signed. "I'm going to have to hack the MAGI again. I'll need a whole new program, one that they won't detect until it's too late."

Misato's expression was slightly confused. "How's that going to help?"

Ritsuko signed in exasperation. "Because Misato, I can use the program to make them think I've drained and deactivated the Evas, when in fact I haven't. Those damn machines will figure it out eventually though. It will last three days at most. We can only hope that it's too late for them to do anything by that time."

Misato nodded in understanding. "If he thinks they're deactivated then he presumable won't see any need to remove them from the Eva bays. As long as they stay there we can access them."

Ritsuko agreed with Misato on that point but she knew it wouldn't be as easy as the major made it sound. "Even if we can get the children in their Evas Misato, we won't be able to use the MAGI to release them."

Misato had realised this already but she didn't think it was a huge problem. "We'll just do what we did when Matariel attacked. The children can use their Eva's physical strength to forcefully remove the restraints."

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow slightly. "That's your plan, brute strength?"

Misato mimicked the doctor's expression. "You've got a better idea?"

Ritsuko smiled slightly. "No, and we don't have the time to figure out anything more complex." She turned and walked towards the door. "I need to make that program before Gendo starts asking too many questions." She departed, leaving Misato alone again in the room.

Misato watched as the door slid shut behind the doctor. She knew the same thing had been on the doctor's mind that had been on hers. Even if by some chance they succeeded in activating and releasing the children's Evas to fight off Gendo's, their own safety was far from assured. The commander would have Nerv security on them in a flash. Both understood that their chances of survival were small, along with the chances of anyone who helped them.

(Several Minutes Later, Tokyo-2)

Nara stood on top of one of the many skyscrapers contained within the city of Tokyo-2, standing on the very edge of the structures roof. He looked down at the busy streets below. The people were little more than dots from up here but with his enhanced vision Nara could see them in detail. He'd scanned as many faces as he could but had so far seen no sign of his target. Keel Lorenz was a difficult man to find.

Xera stood on top of a building roughly a block away from the one Nara stood on. She too scanned the streets below but was having no more success than her companion. Raising her eyes from the streets, she looked across at the silent figure of Nara. The boy had been certain that Keel Lorenz was in this city and she could sense that he was still certain of that fact. Still they had been here for four hours and so far they had seen no sign of the man. Xera was surely tempted to just start blasting away at the whole city and she sensed that Nara was on the verge of doing just that.

Nara was becoming increasingly impatient. He had wanted to be face-to-face with Keel when he killed him but he was now seriously considering just blowing up the whole of Tokyo-2, destroying Keel in the process. He was sure that his target was within the city and would die in the explosion.

The grey haired boy's eyes scanned over another group of people on the street below. He began to look away but brought his attention snapping back as one of the figures he had just seen came to focus in his mind. The man was old and completely bald. He wore plain, casual clothing and sported some decidedly average looking sunglasses. There was really nothing remarkable about him but Nara felt like he should know this man. As he watched the man turned to look at something up the street and Nara got a full view of the man's face. Nara was no fool, he had seen mental images of Keel Lorenz, this was most definitely him.

Signalling to Xera, Nara leapt from the top of the building and sped towards the ground, his wings extending from his back. Scant seconds later, Xera copied the boy's action, spreading her own wings and following Nara's descent.

Nara fell straight down towards the crowded street below, causing several people to yell and scream when they noticed him. Just as he was about to crash into the crowd however, he angled his wings and veered up sharply, ending up flying above the crowd and horizontal to the ground. The people below him either stared at him in awe or ran screaming for their lives.

As he flew forward he caught sight of Keel, who was in the process of turning around to see what the commotion was. By the time he noticed Nara, it was already too late. Swinging his legs forward, the winged boy brought his feet slamming into Keel's back, driving him to the ground.

The force of Nara's impact and a sweep of his wings knocked several people to the ground but none of them were seriously injured. The same however could not be said of the man formerly known as Seele 01. There was an audible snapping sound as Keel's backbone broke into two pieces, his spleen and stomach ruptured and his insides began to fill up with blood.

Nara stepped off Keel and kicked him over onto his back, smiling in satisfaction as the man coughed up a massive flow of blood. "You have little time left Mr. Lorenz. Tell me, did you ever think it would end like this?" He barely noticed Xera come to land behind him or the screams and the increasingly large circle of clear space surrounding them.

It took all of Keel's remaining strength just to speak and when he did it was in a gurgling, rasping tone that left no doubt as to how close his death was. "I don't answer the questions of puppets."

Nara smiled a decidedly wicked smile. "A puppet? No, not this time. This time I've chosen my own path, one that I alone understand." Keel made no further response. He took one last rasping breath then went silent, blood still flowing from his mouth and his back. Nara signed mentally as he looked at the man's corpse. 'At least I think I understand.'

The winged boy turned to Xera, intending to tell her it was time to leave. He was distracted however by a figure he saw out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a man striding towards them through the now almost completely deserted street. The man was a little bit taller than Nara and appeared to be quite heavily built, although there was a certain fluidness to the way he moved that made it obvious he could move fast if he needed to. Most of his form was covered in plain, unassuming black clothing but his head was bare, revealing dark brown hair and an angular face. His skin was quite pale and his eyes were dull and grey, almost lifeless. Nevertheless he walked towards Nara and Xera with the utmost confidence.

Nara was surprised to see the man approaching him. He had expected that everyone in his proximity would run away as they had done every other time. Either this man was insane, extremely brave or he knew something Nara did not. As unlikely as the last option was, Nara prepared himself for any possible attack, just in case. He spoke as soon as the man got within a few feet of him. "What are you doing? Do you have a death wish?" He noticed that beside him Xera was preparing to attack.

If the man was fazed by the two's openly hostile reception, he didn't show it. "My name is Shadow. I am here because you and I have a mutual friend." He voice was deep and almost hollow sounding.

The man was close enough now for Nara to reach out and probe his mind, and he did so quickly. He was not gentle and yet Shadow showed no signs that he had felt anything. When the boy was done he smiled sardonically. "Gendo Ikari is no friend of mine." He relaxed slightly, prompting Xera to do the same.

The pale man laughed softly, his laugh was as hollow as his voice. "Nor mine to be honest, but he pays well. Though I suppose that is of no importance to you."

Nara inclined his head slightly. "You are correct. I don't give a damn about money. This has nothing to do with that. This is about revenge."

A vicious smile spread across Shadow's face. "Well we all have our own reasons for what we do, some more personal than others." His expression became more serious as he moved on to his reason for being there. "But I digress, you wanted to know my reasons for being here. I have been watching Keel Lorenz for quite some time now, for you see I was sent by the commander to contact you when you had finished your 'extermination' of Seele. I assumed Mr. Lorenz would be the last member of Seele you killed, so I knew that all I had to do was find him and wait."

Nara looked only mildly interested in what the shadowy man had to say. "I assume then you have a message to deliver?"

Shadow nodded curtly. "Of course. The commander has ordered you to return to Nerv as soon as possible, so that you will be ready to participate in the coming events."

Nara's expression all at once turned remarkably cold. "I don't take orders from Gendo! I agreed to help him only because he and I have the same ultimate goal, not so I could be his pawn. You can tell him I will be there for the _events_ but that I will not be arriving until tomorrow."

Shadow laughed again, the same hollow laugh as before. "He believed that would be your response. He told me to say that you can arrive tomorrow if you truly wish to but that you should not forget whose plan this is."

Xera stood and listened to the conversation between the two. Linked to Nara as she was, she was fully aware of the boy's plans. What she didn't know was who this Shadow person was. Nara didn't know either so Xera was left completely in the dark. She had already ascertained that the man was no real threat but she would prefer to know exactly who he was. She remained ready to attack the man if he proved hostile towards either her or Nara.

Nara turned and began to walk away from Shadow, spreading his wings wide. "You should leave now, if you want to get back to Tokyo-3 before the day is out." He pushed off from the ground and took off into the sky. Xera cast a glance at the expressionless Shadow before following the winged boy into the air. For his part Shadow just smiled slightly. Once again Gendo had accurately predicted the boy's reaction. Noticing that the sun was beginning to set, he turned and disappeared into the shadows forming at the edge of the street, just as the sound of sirens began to boom through the streets.

(Several Hours Later, Nerv, Eva Simulation Room)

Misato stood and watched the screen that right now showed a visual of the simulated Unit-14 in the virtual battlefield. Touji and Kensuke had long since retired after a hard day of simulations but Asuka was still practicing. On the screen, Unit-14 was performing a series of complex and extremely fast attack manoeuvres. There was so much force behind the attacks that visible shockwaves spread out from the Eva. Misato didn't know where Asuka had learnt such fighting skills but she certainly wasn't complaining, the better fighter Asuka was, the better chance they all had of survival.

(Meanwhile, Virtual Battlefield)

Asuka swung Unit-14 out of its last punch and brought the massive Eva onto its hands, initiating a rapid spin kick. Pushing off the ground with her Eva's hands she spun Unit-14 into a roundhouse kick and followed it up with a rapid series of mid-air punches as the Eva's red wings extended and spun the Eva around to land on its feet. As soon as the colossal figures feet hit the ground it dropped into a crouch and swipe out with its leg before rising to it full height once again and bringing one of its arms down in a cutting gesture, sending out its AT field in a razor sharp blade.

These manoeuvres were performed at such speeds that Unit-14 was little more than a blur and the sonic booms produced by the movements were almost deafening in their intensity. Nevertheless Asuka pushed on, performing more and more moves at even faster speeds. She didn't really know exactly what she was doing. She was acting almost entirely on instinct. All she wanted was to train and get better, to be the best fighter that she could possible be. To be good enough to destroy Gendo's Evas and save all her friends. At that last thought she rammed Unit-14's fist into the ground with such force that the earth split open, sending a jagged line speeding across the barren plane and away from the Eva. "I will be good enough!"

Unit-14 rose to its full height and launched itself back into the manoeuvres, manoeuvres that continued to grow in speed, strength and intensity.

(Next Morning, Wilderness Outside Tokyo-2)

Xera watched as Nara stood looking at the rising sun. The grey haired boy appeared to be in some form of trance, his eyes focused on the horizon. The boy's torso was bare and his body was rimmed by the light of the rising sun. With his wings spread wide, he looked almost angelic, odd considering the darkness of his thoughts. Her ability to read Nara's thoughts had brought Xera to an undeniable conclusion. Nara was losing his mind. He was slowly becoming consumed by the negative thoughts and emotions that surged through his head. Xera did not understand where these thoughts and emotions came from. She only knew that they were not Nara's own.

Nara slowly turned away from the red horizon and looked back at Xera, his eyes lingering slightly on her naked body. She lay on her back on a soft mound of grass, with her long silver hair spread out in a fan around her head. It was a rather appealing sight to Nara but he quickly suppressed such thoughts. "Get dressed Xera. It is time we departed for Nerv. Soon we will see how strong Adam really is." His eyes began to glow slightly, the contrast in colours clearly visible.

Xera slowly rose to her feet and gathered her clothes from where they lay on the ground around her, throwing Nara his shirt in the process. As Xera pulled her clothes on, she reviewed the experiences of her relatively short life. She had begun as a servant of Seele and although she had not realised it at first she was nothing more than a pawn to them. Nara had shown her that Seele was not worthy of her loyalty, though he had used a considerable amount of force to do so. As a result of his methods and the control he had forced on her, Xera had originally wanted to kill the boy and free herself of all control. To her surprise however her relationship with Nara had slowly deepened and when he had finally released her from his control she had no longer wanted to kill her, on the contrary she had willingly become his lover.

Like Nara, Xera had a strong desire to be free but she didn't believe that Nara infringed on that freedom. He did not force her to remain with him. He did not have to. She would stay by her own accord. As she finished pulling on her clothes, she spread her wings and followed Nara as he took off into the sky.

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo Ikari sat in his usual position behind his desk, his face cool and impassive. Fuyutsuki stood beside him in his usual position. The only other occupant of the room was Shadow, standing before the commander's desk.

Gendo raised his head to look at the pale man before him. "Shadow. What is your opinion of Nara Ayanami? Do you believe he may betray me?"

Shadow shook his head slowly. "It is a possibility sir, but I believe he will at least fulfil his objective before doing so. He seems just as determined to succeed as you are, perhaps even more so."

Gendo nodded stiffly. "Very well. For now I will trust in your judgement." Shadow turned to leave but Gendo stopped him. "One last thing Shadow, how would you evaluate the 6th child's mental state."

Shadow turned back to the commander. "I only talked to him briefly but I would describe him as unstable at best. His mood seems capable of changing rapidly."

Gendo nodded again. "Very well, you may leave us now." Shadow bowed slightly and complied with the order, exiting the office.

As soon as the pale man had departed, Fuyutsuki turned to look down at Gendo. "So you're really going to go through with this?"

Gendo turned to his long-time friend, no emotion evident in his eyes. "Of course I am Kouzou. I will defeat Shinji and then I will initiate the Third Impact and be reunited with Yui once again."

Gendo smiled internally. His plan was foolproof. There was no way that Shinji would be able to beat him. Even with Rei on his side the boy would be no match for the forces arrayed against him. And even if by some kind of incredible luck Shinji managed to survive, Gendo had a backup plan. One that was incapable of failure. "Shinji's death is guaranteed Kouzou. The power of the Angel's will be mine. Control of Third Impact will be mine."

* * *

End Notes: Okay that's it for Chapter 8. I was going to make it a bit longer, ending just when all the fighting was going to begin but I've done that before and besides I wanted to get this chapter posted before too much time had elapsed since the last chapter. Chapter 9 will see some more huge battle scenes and the final stages of this fanfic. I'll try to have the next chapter out by the end of September but I'm not making any promises. If you've got anything to say please review.H 


	9. Third Impact Revisited: Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Author's Notes: Hooray, I finally finished Chapter 9, more than a month behind schedule. This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I had anticipated and as a result I have decided to split it into two parts so that it will be easier for you to read. Anyway, on with the story.

Heterochromia – A scientific term which describes the condition of having one iris coloured differently than the other one.

* * *

**9. Third Impact Revisited: Part 1**

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji stood in the center of the bare room which served as his temporary home. His eyes were closed and it seemed his mind was distance. Despite being so far underground he could sense and almost see the rising sun on the horizon above. The day had finally come. It had been exactly one year since Third Impact was adverted. Now it was time for it to return.

Rei stood beside Shinji, her eyes closed and her expression as distant as her companion's. She too could sense the rising sun above and she too knew what it meant. She could feel it, feel the power returning to the world. The power of the Third Impact.

Rei looked down at the baby girl clutched in her arms. Soon it would all be over and Naoki would be given a new life. A better life.

Shinji slowly opened his eyes and turned to Rei. "It's time Rei, let's go. You know where this must begin."

Rei opened her own eyes and nodded slightly. "Then we should go, before the commander has a chance to stop us."

(Same Time, Nerv, Commander's Office)

Gendo looked up at the grey haired boy who stood before his desk. "You know what I expect of you Nara. The question is will you do it."

A brief chuckle escaped from the boy's mouth. "Oh I will do it Gendo. But make no mistake. I'm not doing it out of any sense of duty towards you." A slight smile crossed his face and his eyes flashed. "We owe you nothing, Lilim." He turned to the silver haired girl who stood beside him. "Let's go, we don't have much time."

Xera didn't respond, she just followed the boy as he exited the office and headed for Terminal Dogma. It was all that she could do.

As soon as the two teens were out of earshot, Gendo turned to the only other remaining occupant of the room. "Watch them Shadow, you know what to do if they fail."

Shadow nodded, his grey eyes downcast. "Yes commander. I know what to do."

Gendo stood up. "Good. Go now. Soon the MAGI will launch the Evas, and then nothing will be able to stop me." He clenched his fists. "Nothing!"

Shadow departed the office and Gendo moved to follow him but stopped as a light on his desk began to blink. He activated the intercom embedded into the piece of furniture. "Yes?"

The voice of one of his Nerv agents came over the intercom. "Sir, Major Katsuragi and the 2nd, 4th and 7th children are no longer in their rooms. It appears that someone has disabled the security systems."

Gendo growled in the back of his throat. "Find them. Find them now!" He paused for a moment in thought. "Head for the Eva bays."

"Yes sir." The agent terminated the transmission.

Gendo stood in thought for a moment. He could guess what Misato and the children were doing. They were trying to get to the Evas. The Evas that were supposed to be inactive. But of course someone had to have disabled the security systems in their rooms. Someone who knew how to hack into the MAGI without being detected. The same person who had been ordered to shutdown Units 14, 16 and 17. The same person who had undoubtable told Misato all that she knew about what was going on. Doctor Ritsuko Akagi. Gendo made a sound that might have been interpreted as a sign by anyone who didn't know him and exited the office.

(Nerv, Eva Bays)

Asuka crouched in the shadow cast by the colossal form of Unit-14. The red Eva stood ready and waiting in its girth, a gantry across its back giving Asuka a perfect position to access its entry plug from. The problem though was that three pistol wielding Nerv agents stood on that gantry, guns drawn and ready. It would seem that their escape from their rooms had been discovered. Ritsuko had said shutting off the alarms would buy them a couple of minutes at most. Apparently those minutes were already up.

Asuka moved forward, crouching so low she was almost crawling. She made sure to keep as hidden as she could as she closed in on her Eva. The teen had woken this morning to the almost imperceptible sound of Misato opening her door. Upon seeing her awake the lavender haired women had muttered only two words. "It's time."

That had been all the fiery redhead needed to here. She had been out of bed and dressed in a flash, immediately heading for the Eva bays. Misato's plan was simple. Asuka would get to and activate Unit-14. She would then clear the Eva bays of any hostiles and protect Units 16 & 17 as Touji and Kensuke got into them. So far everything was going more or less on schedule.

As Asuka reached the metal frame that surrounded Unit-14 she stopped and waited for Misato to make her move. She didn't have to wait long.

The sound of a gunshot rang out and one of the agents suddenly clutched at his chest before falling backwards off the gantry. The other two agents immediately turned and fired on the location the shot had come from, the sound of their fellow agent hitting the ground drowned out by the gunfire. The bullets however hit nothing but air as their lavender haired assailant dived behind a nearby metal bulkhead. The barrel of Misato's pistol briefly appeared over the top of the bulkhead and fired a couple of wild shots at the agents. The shots were too inaccurate to actually hit the agents but they did succeed in causing the men to dive to the side and cut off their assault.

Asuka didn't wait to see how the battle turned out. If she was going to help Misato then she needed to act fast. With strength and speed borne of adrenaline she began to scale the frame surrounding the Eva. If she could just get into Unit-14's entry plug then nothing those agents could do would stop her.

On the gantry above Misato crouched behind the bulkhead and quickly reloaded her pistol, listening to the clang of the bullets colliding against the metal of her sanctuary. She couldn't stay put forever though. Asuka was counting on her to distract the goons on the gantry. She waited until she heard the click that told her one of the agents had used up his ammo clip then ran out from behind the bulkhead. She fired off four shots in rapid succession before diving behind another, slightly smaller bulkhead. One of the shots flew true, striking one of the agents between the eyes, and two more flew wide. The fourth buried itself in the right shoulder of the second agent, the agent who had a gun that was loaded and ready to fire. The man's arm jerked as his finger depressed on the trigger and his shot missed its intended target of Misato's chest, instead tearing through Misato's left leg.

Now safely behind the second bulkhead, Misato looked down at the bleeding wound in her leg and gritted her teeth against the pain. She wouldn't be able to move fast with that kind of injury.

There was no clanging sound ringing in Misato's ears, which meant the third agent wasn't firing, which meant he was likely trying to sneak up on her. That was both good and bad. Good because it gave Asuka an opportunity to get to Unit-14's entry plug. Bad because it lessened her own chances of survival.

Unaware of Misato's predicament, Asuka reached the gantry at the back of her Eva. With the only remaining agent running towards Misato's position there was no-one to stop her from leaping across onto the red Eva's back and she did so immediately, grasping at the few protruding parts of the Eva's armour in order to keep herself balanced. She scurried up the arched back until she reached the entry plug and immediately pulled on the manual release handle. There was a loud hiss as the internal pressure around the entry plug was released and the plug itself slid out of the Eva's back.

The remaining Nerv agent was almost upon Misato when he heard the sound of Unit-14's entry plug ejecting. He immediately whirled around and raised his pistol with his one remaining good arm. Upon noticing the young red head beginning to climb into the now open plug he quickly took aim and prepared to fire, a slight smirk appearing on his face. The arrogance of his expression was quickly replaced with one of shock as a gunshot rang out and a bullet tore through his heart. The resulting jolt that ran through his body caused his hands to grip reflexively, and the fingers of his left hand depressed on the trigger of his gun.

A second gunshot echoed throughout the Eva bays and the bullet whizzed through the air towards Asuka. Fortunately the girl had ducked instinctively when she heard the first gunshot and so was not in the same position she had been when the man took aim. She was not completely out of the bullets path though. It scraped across her right cheek, leaving a long shallow cut.

Asuka immediately pressed a hand to the wound, stifling a cry of pain. "Scheisse." She only dwelled on the wound for a second though before jumping into the plug and initiating the injection sequence.

Misato lowered her gun as she watched the body of the last agent fall to the floor. She was glad to see that Asuka had not been seriously hurt by the man's bullet but she had no more time to dwell on the girl's wellbeing. She had no doubt that more Nerv agents would be arriving any second.

Misato had just enough time to turn around as the closest door to her burst open and three Nerv agents came running out, their guns raised and ready to fire. She immediately fired at the three men, felling two of them and only narrowly missing the third.

Two more agents quickly replaced those who had fallen and all three agents fired on Misato. The athletic major immediately rolled to the right but with her injured left leg she couldn't quite move fast enough. One bullet raked across the left side of her chest, leaving a long and painfully deep cut. A second bullet buried itself in her left forearm, lodging itself in the bone. Despite herself Misato cried out in pain and lost her grip on her gun, the weapon skittering away along the ground.

Two of the black clothed men lowered their guns, confident that the stricken women was at there mercy. The third steeped forward, his weapon trained on Misato's forehead. "Sorry major but the commander has ordered us to eliminate all opposition, and that includes you."

Misato glared up at the man, knowing that she'd never be able to reach her pistol in time to save her life. "Why are you blinding following orders. You must know that something is wrong with the commander."

The man allowed a small smile to show on his face. "Perhaps but it's not my job to question orders. Only to carry them out." With barely a hint of emotion he prepared himself to execute Misato, as ordered.

The shot never came however. The horrendous sound of metal bending and snapping heralded the forced release of Unit-14 from its steel prison. As soon as the Eva had finished activating Asuka had simply pushed on the steel frame surrounding the red behemoth, snapping the thick metal in less than a second.

All three Nerv agents turned to look towards the commotion but none of them even had time to make a sound before a hand the size of a tank came crashing down on top of them, crushing them and the gantry they stood upon.

Misato breathed a sign of relief as she realised her life had been saved. She noticed quickly however that Asuka had yet to move Unit-14's hand from where it had landed. When she looked up she saw that the massive Eva was staring at the hand and at the damage it had caused. It took her a moment to figure out what was wrong. Asuka had never killed anyone before, she'd destroyed Angels but she'd never before taken the life of another human being. Misato half opened her mouth to say something before she realised that Asuka would not be able to hear her.

Slowly, very slowly, Unit-14's hand lifted and returned to the Eva's side. Asuka's voice rang out from the Eva's loud speakers, quiet despite the strength of the speakers. "Get the stooges to their Evas Misato. I've…I've got your back."

(Nerv, Control Room)

Ritsuko was crouched below one of the long tables on the edge of the control room, with her laptop plugged into the closest computer terminal. As always she was typing furiously. The MAGI had detected Unit-14's activation and as a result had uncovered the program Ritsuko had installed to fool them. They were now preparing to launch the IDPS Evas in retaliation. Ritsuko was trying to stop them.

Unfortunately for Ritsuko it was a down hill battle. Together the MAGI were simply too fast and too powerful for her, there was nothing she could do to stop them. She tried her best regardless but in this case the victory of the MAGI was a forgone conclusion.

Barely a minute after the three supercomputers had detected the activation of Unit-14 they had activated all five of the ex-Seele Evas and had given them the commands to ascend to Central Dogma and destroy all enemy Evas.

Signing Ritsuko activated a program she'd only recently installed onto her laptop, one that allowed her a direct link to Unit-14's communication system. The laptop's screen went blurry for a second and then an image of Asuka's faced appeared on it.

Ritsuko pressed a button on her laptop to open an audio link. "You have incoming Asuka, Units A to E are heading up the central shaft from Terminal Dogma."

Asuka's eyes shifted slightly so that she was looking directly at Ritsuko. "Alright, I'm on my way. I just have to make one stop first." She cut the connection.

(Meanwhile, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji walked down one of the many corridors of Terminal Dogma, his eyes trained ahead, alert for any sign of danger. Beside him walked Rei, her arms wrapped around the sleeping form of Naoki. She too scanned the path ahead, preparing herself for the attack that was inevitable coming.

The two winged teens had been tempted to simply run all the way to the LCL Chamber and get this over with as quickly as possible. But the commander undoubtedly had some sort of trap laying in wait for them and they both wanted to see it coming, as opposed to blindly charging into it.

Shinji suddenly stopped. He could sense…something. He couldn't quite figure out what it was but in was definitely something. And whatever it was…it was dark. Rei stopped beside Shinji and turned her head slightly to look at him. That was a mistake.

As soon as Rei turned her attention to Shinji two arms shot out of the shadows at the end of the corridor and rushed towards her. Shinji saw them but he couldn't quite move fast enough. Before Rei even knew what was happening the arms had wrapped themselves around Naoki and torn the baby girl from her mother's arms. They immediately retracted back into the shadows, taking Naoki with them.

Rei immediately cried out in horror and went to run after her daughter. Shinji though reached out an arm and stopped her. Rei was about to push his arm out of the way and continue regardless but refrained when she saw two figures step out of the darkness.

Rei's eyes widened slightly as she saw that one of the figures was Nara and that he was holding Naoki up by her neck. The now very much awake baby was struggling to free herself from the boy's grip. Nara's grip tightened and the little girl cried out in pain.

Rei's eyes immediately narrowed in anger. "Nara! Give me back my baby!"

Nara smiled coldly. "No I don't think I'll be doing that, it would sort of defeat the purpose of taking her in the first place." He looked down at the squirming child. "However, there's no reason for me to hold onto her any longer." With that he threw the baby to the side in an almost careless manner.

Xera caught Naoki in mid-flight, postponing any thoughts Rei might have had of retrieving her child. The baby itself had had enough of such treatment and began to cry loudly.

A growl rose from the back of Xera's throat and she clamped the little girl's mouth shut with her hand. "Shut up you wretch, or I'll blow your head off. You don't need it to live."

Rei's face was now twisted in anger, her eyes blazing. She began to focus her AT field around her, her hair standing on end as the power built. "Leave my baby alone!"

Nara continued to smile coldly, seemingly unfazed by the girl's display. He turned his attention to the stoic Shinji. "If you want your daughter back Adam, then you're going to have to fight me for her."

Shinji merely looked back at Nara then nodded slowly. He had known this would be the case since he realised that the presence he could sense was Nara. As soon as Naoki had been taken, he had realised the fight was unavoidable. He would never let any harm come to his daughter. Even if it meant killing the boy he had once considered his friend. "Okay Nara, we'll fight, but I want your guarantee that neither Naoki nor Rei will be harmed."

Once Shinji would have trusted Nara not to hurt them without a guarantee but this was no longer the Nara he had known. This was someone significantly darker. The chosen name of reference was all the proof he needed. The fact that the boy now sported a blue left eye only strengthened the conclusion.

Nara's smile widened. "But of course Adam. They won't be harmed. That is, until you lose." His smile became a smirk. "They won't outlive you for long."

By now Rei was shaking with rage and the air around her shimmered with the strength of her AT field. "Don't think you can just ignore me Nara. If you fight Shinji then you must fight me as well."

Xera stepped up beside Nara, moving her free hand to Naoki's chest. "Make one wrong move Rei and your daughter dies." Her hand began to glow slightly.

Nara's eyes flitted to Rei. "This battle has nothing to do with you Lilith. It is between me and Adam alone. Neither you nor Xera will interfere. Any attempt to do so will result in the death of all three of you."

Rei didn't appear to take any note of Nara's words, though she certainly took note of the position of Xera's hand. It appeared she was on the verge of attacking but could not do so for fear of any harm coming to her child. She was startled slightly as Shinji's hand came to rest on her shoulder, and looked up into his eyes.

Shinji held Rei's eyes and transmitted as much calmness as he could across their link. "Calm down Rei. Do not worry. I will fight Nara, and I will win. Naoki will be fine."

Rei maintained eye contact for a moment and then hung her head in defeat, her shoulders relaxing and the shimmer around her disappearing. "Be careful Shinji. You must not underestimate Nara. He has changed so much. We cannot be certain of his power." She looked up and met his eyes once again. "If you die then all will be lost."

Shinji smiled reassuringly. "I won't die Rei. I promise. Everything's going to be okay."

Unable to restrain herself Rei embraced him and Shinji willingly returned the embrace, placing a light kiss on her forehead. That wasn't enough for Rei and she pulled Shinji down into a heated kiss.

Nara watched the exchange between the two without a hint of emotion. He had no reason to hurry Shinji. He knew he would not have to wait long to fight with the boy and he could handle the wait.

Shinji soon stepped away from Rei, who seemed somewhat reluctant to let him go. Coming to a stop in front of Nara he began to focus his AT field around him, prompting Nara to do the same. Barely three meters divided the two. It was time for their battle to begin.

(Nerv, Central Dogma)

Stopping just short of the shaft leading to Terminal Dogma, Unit-14 turned and faced the wall to its right. It appeared to be nothing more than a featureless metal wall, but Asuka knew better. Behind this wall lay an Eva weapon dump.

Bringing back Unit-14's right arm Asuka swung forward and punched the thick metal bulkhead with all her Eva's might. For a moment it looked like the metal might hold, but that moment was short lived. The section of wall in front of the Eva's fist cracked and broke, allowing the hand to pass through into the weapon dump beyond. Once inside the hand immediately closed on the familiar haft of Asuka's weapon of choice and retracted back through its entry hole.

The weapon of course was trapped by the still largely intact wall but that didn't slow it down for long. There was a loud creaking sound and then the entire wall caved in, freeing the long black form of Asuka's favourite weapon. The progressive battle axe.

The redheaded teen took a moment to admire the weapon before turning to the nearby shaft. She was just in time to see one of the white IDPS Evas fly out of the hole and land on the edge right in front of her, its white wings immediately retracting into its back. Before Asuka had time to react it was joined by its four replicas, all five of them armed with Longinus Spears and clearly ready for combat.

Asuka didn't make a sound she just launched herself forward, swinging her giant axe and charging the lead Eva. She had been training for days in anticipation of this moment and she wasn't going to back down now.

(Nerv, Eva Bays)

Touji gripped the handles of his piloting seat as Unit-16 came to life around him. As soon as the colours around him faded he lifted the white arms of his Eva and began to push on the scaffolding that surrounded it. Beside him Unit-17 was doing the same.

He had hoped to get into his Eva's entry plug sooner, but unfortunately two Nerv agents had turned up to stop them. Misato had been able to take down both men without suffering any injury but it had caused a considerable delay. Now, with Unit-14 long since departed to battle the IDPS Evas, Touji was eager to catch up. After all no matter how good she was, he didn't believe that Asuka could take out all the enemy Evas by herself. Well okay, maybe he did think she could beat all of them but that didn't mean she wouldn't still be able to use his help. Right?

(Nerv, Central Dogma)

Asuka was now fully engaged with the five ex-Seele Evas. Dodging a kick from Unit-D aimed at her midriff she swung her battle axe around and blocked a spear thrust from Unit-B. Continuing through with the swing she attempted to cut Unit-A in half but was thwarted when the white Eva nimbly jumped out of the road. The jump however brought Unit-A's back up against the wall and Asuka took the chance to try and decapitate it. She would have succeeded if Unit-C hadn't swung its Longinus Spear around and deflected the attack.

Back flipping over the head of Unit-D, Asuka put some distance between herself and the five enemy Evas. These Evas were definitely better fighters than the last time she fought them. Before they had used only basic fighting moves but now they were using much more advanced stuff.

Asuka wasn't really surprised. After all, the IDPS could utilise the combined skill and knowledge of Shinji, Rei and Nara. While Asuka considered herself to be more skilled than any of her friends she had to admit that those three were close to being as good as her, especially Shinji. Combined they were difficult opponents indeed.

Asuka watched as the five Evas arrayed against her got ready to attack, spreading out as much as they could in the narrow corridor. If there was one thing those three had always been better at than her it was definitely teamwork, and the wide-mouthed Evas were using that knowledge effectively. Right now the greatest advantage Asuka had was that her enemies could not properly bring their numbers to bear in such tight quarters.

One of the five Evas finally broke away from its colleagues and charged forward, the letter on its shoulder proclaiming it as Unit-E. It was quickly followed by the other Evas.

Unit-14 stood still and unmoving until Unit-E was almost upon it then it swung its battle axe down and around, attempting to cut off the enemy Eva's legs at the knee. Unit-E jumped over the attack but this left it vulnerable to the other end of the axe, which gouged a deep wound in the Eva's right shoulder. Asuka finished off the attack by planting her foot in the white Eva's stomach, propelling it backwards into Unit-C which was knocked to the ground by the impact.

Unit-A and Unit-B then attempted a simultaneous attack but were overwhelmed by the speed of their red nemesis. With incredible speed Unit-14 swung its battle axe up and around, cutting off the top half of Unit-A's head. The red Eva then immediately dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding a spear thrust from Unit-B. Asuka swung out with her Eva's leg, knocking Unit-B's legs out from under it and sending it crashing back against the wall. She would have finished the stricken Eva off but had to leap backwards to avoid a swing from Unit-D's Longinus Spear that was aimed at her abdomen.

Throwing its battle axe into the air, Unit-14 landed on its hands and launched itself into a rapid spin kick, kicking Unit-D twice across the face and sending it stumbling backwards. Bringing her Eva back onto its feet, Asuka caught the now falling battle axe and prepared herself for another attack.

The five white Evas stayed back and watched. The Internal Dummy Plug System was linked directly to the MAGI and they were currently receiving instructions from the three super computers. Quite clearly they had underestimated the skill and power of their opponent. Perhaps most importantly, they had not expected Unit-14 to be armed with anything more than a progressive knife. The progressive battle axe was unexpected, significantly increasing the red Eva's offensive power and reach.

The best strategy would undoubtable be a coordinated assault but such an attack was not possible in such tight quarters. The MAGI quickly calculated the best possible course of action. There was a metallic clanking sound as the locks on the upper portion of the shaft behind the Evas released, followed by a loud groaning as the massive armour plates slid back into recesses in the wall. Each armour plate had four separate shutters, one pair of them above and at right angles to the other pair. Meaning that when opening and closing they made a diamond shape at their center.

A shower of dirt and several large boulders that had been resting on the top armour plate fell down the shaft, falling all the way to Terminal Dogma below. These plates had never before been opened, opening the base as they did to attack, but the MAGI had decided a quick route to the surface was exactly what was needed now.

Before Asuka could stop them the five ex-Seele Evas had extended their wings and took off up the open shaft, heading straight for the ruined surface of Tokyo-3. The MAGI had reviewed the records of Asuka psych tests. They knew what she would do. Sure enough, Unit-14's red wings extended and it took of in pursuit of the five soulless Evas, seemingly uncaring of the danger of such an action.

The MAGI saw a chance to destroy Unit-14 right then.

As the red Eva began to fly up the shaft, the armour plates began to close, the process was slow and Asuka passed the first few plates without a problem. Nevertheless, as she got higher, the plates got closer to closing completely. Unit-14 began to fly faster. The light above that heralded the top of the shaft grew closer and closer, but so did the armour plates.

As Unit-14 passed the second last plate, the closing bulkhead grazed the Eva's shoulder armour. The minor damage was immediately repaired by the Eva's powerful S2 organ but the impact of the event was not lost on Asuka. Unit-14 was not going to be able to pass the last armour plate. The air around the Eva began to shimmer.

The surface above Tokyo-3 was relatively still and quite, peaceful even. That peace was soon broken. With a resounding bang four large pieces of armour suddenly exploded from the ground and were flung high into the air. The armour pieces were soon followed by the unmistakable form of Unit-14.

As Unit-14 came to a stop hovering in midair, Asuka surveyed her surroundings. Arrayed around her Eva, in a pentagram formation, were the five ex-Seele Evas. "So, you have me surrounded." Unit-14's right hand tightened its grip on the progressive battle axe's haft. "Well, it makes no difference. You're still going to LOSE!!"

(Nerv, Control Room)

Ritsuko was still typing on her keyboard, her fingers seemingly gliding across the keys, pressing so lightly and quickly it was somewhat surprising that the miniature computer even received her commands.

Ritsuko was currently trying to find a way to get Units 16 & 17 to the surface. The MAGI had securely closed the main shaft leading to the surface. The only conceivable way to open it would be to activate the manual release on each armour plate and then pry them open one-by-one, something that would take far too long. Ritsuko had instead decided to try to use the catapult system to take the two Evas to the surface.

The MAGI of course were aware of her objective and were blocking her every step of the way. No matter what she did the catapults refused to turn on and the armour shutters at the heads of the shafts refused to open.

The doctor was on the verge of giving up when she realised there was one thing she could do. She began to type a new series of codes into the laptop, hoping more Nerv agents didn't arrive as she did so.

So far only one Nerv agent had come to try and kill her. Fortunately Ritsuko had heard the door sliding open and had stoped typing. Without the sound of her typing to guide him the agent had been unable to find her, hidden as she was below one of the tables. As soon as he had turned his back on her she had pulled her pistol and shot him in the back. She was surprised the MAGI had not summoned more. Perhaps they didn't consider her a threat. Well, she'd just have to prove them wrong.

She typed in the last few commands and smiled to herself. The override codes had worked. The MAGI had not quite been fast enough to stop the sub-program she had activated. She had won. It was a small victory but a victory nonetheless.

Ritsuko quickly pulled out her cell phone and used her speed dial function to call Misato. The phone only rang once before being picked up.

"Yeah." Misato was breathing hard and there was a trace of pain in her voice.

Ritsuko didn't have time to worry about Misato's health, as long as she was still able to move she'd be able to do what was needed of her. "Misato, I've enabled the manual launch for catapults two and three. I'll order Touji and Kensuke to get their Evas hooked up but you're going to need to activate the manual launch from the Catapult Control Station. I need to stay here and keep trying to shutdown the MAGI so it's up to you to get the job done."

Misato almost groaned but she just managed to hold it in, she needed to ignore the pain right now and get back to work. The children were counting on her. "Okay Ritsuko, I'm on my way."

Ritsuko nodded, then remembered that Misato couldn't see her. "Good. Remember you have to open the armour shutters at the top of each shaft before launching the Evas."

"Right." Misato disconnected the call.

Ritsuko put the phone away and turned to her laptop, simultaneously activating the two programs that would link her to Units 16 and 17. Touji's face appeared on one half of the screen and Kensuke's face appeared on the other.

Ritsuko waited until both boys had turned to look at her before speaking. "Okay you two, I need you to get yourselves hooked up to Eva catapults two and three. Misato is going to activate the manual launch and send you to the surface."

Both boys nodded in understanding and Ritsuko cut the connection, closing and unplugging the laptop.

As soon as she had put her laptop away Ritsuko got up and walked towards the control room's door. She couldn't stop the MAGI but that didn't mean she was going to just sit back and do nothing.

(Nerv, Central Dogma)

Unit-16 stalked down one of the Eva sized corridors of Central Dogma, heading for the catapult that was to take it to the surface. Unit-17 followed in the white Eva's footsteps, the black Eva walked lethargically, its pilot's mind distracted.

Both Touji and Kensuke had been informed that Ritsuko had had her link to Unit-14 cut so the scientist didn't even know if Asuka was still alive. The young redhead had been antagonistic towards both boys but they still considered her to be their friend and they wanted her to survive.

The plan was for them to use the catapults to get to the surface then relieve some of the pressure from Asuka by attacking the five enemy Evas which had already be deployed to the surface. Ritsuko would try to delay the launching of the two IDPS Evas remaining in Terminal Dogma and it was hoped that the last two IDPS Evas would not be arriving for some time.

(Elsewhere, Nerv, Central Dogma)

Misato tried her best to catch her breath as she leant against the wall outside the Eva Catapult Control Station. She had just seen two men enter the room. Undoubtedly to take up positions within the room and wait for her imminent arrival. It was a good plan and it would have worked if she hadn't come around the corner when she did. Even know that she knew what they were doing it was still going to be hard to manually activate the catapults without getting killed.

Fortunately for Misato she had a trump card. Reaching down to her belt she detached a small metal cylinder. This had been given to her by Makoto, who had taken it from a security locker. It was a well known device among armies around the world. A flash-bang grenade. Activating the three second timer on the grenade, Misato threw it into the room.

The grenade flew gracefully through the air and through the open doorway to the control station. The two agents did what anyone would do. They looked at it. The grenade went off, generating a blinding flash of light.

As soon as the glare had faded Misato stepped into the room, firing on the temporarily blinded agents. Both men fell with bullets lodged in their brains. Misato gritted her teeth as she looked down at her left leg. All this moving around was not helping her wounds. The wound in her side was bleeding profusely and she was beginning to feel numb. She had tightly tied a strip of her jacket around her leg in an attempt to stop the bleeding but blood was still flowing down the limb. Her injured arm wasn't in much better shape, every time she moved it the bullet grated against the bone, causing her a considerable amount of pain.

Forcing herself to ignore the wounds Misato walked resolutely up to room's control panel. A computerised screen declared in large yellow letters that the manual launch system had been activated for catapults two and three. Next to the screen was a switch marked 'Shutter Control' which was currently in the 'Closed' position. Below the screen was a large grey button marked 'Launch'.

Misato flicked the switch and looked out the observation window before her. Units 16 and 17 were standing ready at the catapults. The lavender haired woman slammed her hand down on the button, sending the two Evas hurtling towards the surface.

Misato signed loudly and turned to leave. She was delayed however by a large beeping. Turning she saw another, larger computerised screen in the very center of the control panel light up. The screen proclaimed that catapults one and four were activating. For a moment this confused Misato but then she remembered that those two catapults could go all the way down to Terminal Dogma. Sure enough the base of both catapults slid away and tracks from deeper down came up to join those above.

Misato's worst fears were confirmed when the screen proclaimed 'Evas Launched'. Less than a second later two blurs shot up the catapult tracks, one blue, the other green.

Reaching for her jacket pocket, Misato fully intended to take out her phone and call Ritsuko but instead she collapsed against the console before her, her hand moving from her pocket to brace her fall. It took her a moment to figure out what was happening but soon she came to an obvious conclusion. She had lost too much blood, her body needed to rest. If she tried to keep on going then she would almost certainly die.

(Meanwhile, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji and Nara stood facing off, each of them silently staring at the other. They were waiting to see who would strike first, who would begin the fight on which hung the fate of the world.

Rei and Xera stood to the side, the latter still holding the daughter of the former and making no attempt to be gentle at it. Wether she was feeling the tension from her parents or had simply run out of tears, Naoki was still and silent. Rei appeared anxious, while Xera had what could best be described as a look of resignation on her face.

Nara smiled slightly and then launched himself towards Shinji, propelling himself towards his opponent with one thrust of his powerful legs. Swinging his entire body into the blow, Nara attempted to slam his right fist into Shinji's chest.

Shinji however was prepared for Nara's attack. Sidestepping the blow he swung out with his right leg and attempted to land a blow to the grey haired boy's abdomen. Nara back flipped onto his hands to avoid the attack and then propelled himself into the air. Swinging around, the mentally unstable teen attempted to hit his opponents head with a roundhouse kick. Shinji just barely managed to duck under the attack and his follow up punch caught Nara in the chest, knocking the teenage boy backwards.

Nara landed easily and dropped into a crouch, spreading his arms wide and waiting for another chance to attack. He waited for only a handful of seconds before launching himself forward again, attempting to catch Shinji by surprise with the speed of the follow-up attack. He ran towards the other boy at such a high velocity that he was little more than a blur.

Just as Nara came within range he clenched his left hand and generated a black blade, with which he attempted a swipe that would had decapitated Shinji had he stayed where he was. Shinji jumped backwards just far enough to avoid the razor-sharp blade but was them forced to contend with a second blade, this time from Nara's right hand, driving towards his chest. A subtle manipulation of the black haired boy's AT field was enough to deflect the attack but the distraction allowed Nara to plunge the entire length of his left blade through Shinji's right shoulder.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Shinji jumped backwards, swinging out with his left foot to keep Nara at bay. The movement ripped Nara's blade from his shoulder, causing even more damage to the injured body part.

Nara smiled, even as he saw his opponent's shoulder begin to regenerate. "Your feet and fists won't be enough to protect you from my blades Adam. Perhaps you should generate your own."

Shinji kept his face expressionless, aware that although his shoulder had now fully regenerated he did indeed need something to counter Nara's blades. Blades of his own however, were not his planed response.

Raising his right arm up in front of him, Shinji half clenched the hand and concentrated. Black light began to shine from between his fingers then exploded from either side of his hand. Spreading out a meter to either side, the light formed into a long black staff. The left end of the staff continued to grow, splitting into a vicious looking double-prong lance head, each prong razor-edged and wickedly pointed. When the light finally dimmed the winged teen was left holding a miniature version of the black Lancea Longini.

Nara raised an eyebrow slightly. "An interesting ability, though it won't be enough to save you." The smile on his face turned cold. "It is time for you to die." Quick as a flash he raised both arms, dispersing his blades and firing two thin beams of energy, sending them racing towards Shinji.

Concentrating his AT field Shinji used it to deflect one of the beams, sending it careening into a nearby wall. Grabbing his miniature Lancea in both hands he unleashed a powerful overhead swing that struck the head of the second beam. Such was the power of the swing that it cleaved the energy beam in two, the two halves passing to either side of the red eyed teen.

The beams though were never meant to hit. They were only the distraction. As soon as the second beam was split, Shinji found himself confronted by the double-blade-wielding Nara. The Heterochromia suffering boy launched into a rapid series of blade strikes.

Using the superior length of his Lancea, Shinji was able to block all of the strikes but was battered backwards by the sheer intensity of the onslaught. The attack was performed at such high speeds that the arms and weapons of both boys were almost invisible, the faintest blur all that gave away their presence.

Dodging a double-bladed swing aimed at his chest, Shinji swung his black Lancea down in an overhead swing, aiming for Nara's head. His grey haired opponent brought his blades back just in time though and managed to catch the Lancea between them, forming a cross that stopped the weapon's downwards momentum.

Nara grunted at the strain of keeping the Lancea at bay. "Most impressive Adam. Still, it won't be enough." He began to focus his AT field into his blades, causing them to glow with a dark light. He began to slowly push the Lancea away from him, keeping it held between his blades. "You will fail Adam. And when you do, your family will die."

Shinji fought to keep his face expressionless, only just managing to keep his anger suppressed. If he let himself become consumed by his rage than he would be no better than Nara. He would become what he was fighting. Gathering all the strength he could muster the winged boy pushed back against Nara's blades.

Nara grimaced as he once again struggled to keep the Lancea at bay. Shinji was pushing down from above, giving him the weight advantage and making it difficult for Nara to keep the stalemate going. He was surprised therefore when Shinji suddenly released his grip on the long weapon and it was sent flying by Nara's blades. Surprise quickly changed to shock as Shinji held up his right hand and fired a powerful energy beam from his palm.

Nara brought his bladed arms down just in time to put them between himself and the blast. The impact against them though still had enough force to blast the grey haired boy back through the wall behind him. The beam continued to push him through another two walls before he finally emerged in the central chamber of Terminal Dogma. His backwards momentum was only halted when he crashed into a large boulder, which had fallen from the surface when the MAGI had fully opened the central shaft. The boulder collapsed on top of the teen and he was soon buried in the rubble.

Shinji flew into the chamber behind Nara, having already retrieved his miniature Lancea. He witnessed the boy's collision with the boulder and took off towards the fallen rock. Rei and Xera entered the chamber behind him, Naoki still held in the engineered female's arms.

As Shinji dived towards the rocky wreckage, several pieces of rock shifted and then fell to the side. The rocks' movement revealed the hunched over form of Nara, who once freed quickly rose to his full height and spread his wings wide. When he noticed Shinji falling towards him he pushed off the ground with his AT field and flew up to meet the other boy halfway.

Narrowing his eyes at Nara's approach, Shinji raised his black Lancea above his head and brought himself to a halt. He noticed that his pale skinned opponent had not yet generated the twin blades he was so fond of. As such this was probable Shinji's best chance to defeat Nara, and he planned to take full advantage of it.

Seemingly heedless of the danger, Nara continued his rapid approach, his eyes visibly glowing with power as he prepared for battle.

As soon as the grey winged teen came within range Shinji swung down with his deadly weapon. Even as he did so though, he knew his aim was off. He had been meaning to cut Nara perfectly in half and destroy the boy's S2 organ in the process, but instead realised that his swing would fall too far to Nara's left. It would probably sever the boys left arm and chest but would miss the S2 organ. Regardless, it was too late to stop the swing now. It was already in motion and would have to be stopped completely in order to re-aim.

Nara didn't appear bothered by the weapon's approach, in fact he smiled, a maniacal smile. Then he did the last thing that Shinji expected, he moved to the left.

Now lined up perfectly, Shinji's Lancea cut Nara perfectly in two, splitting the grey haired teen apart from head to hip and cutting his S2 organ into two symmetrical halves. For a heartbeat the two halves stayed together than a torrent of blood sprayed out from the cut and the two halves began to drift to the side, slowly falling towards the floor.

Shinji stared at the remains of what had once been his friend. The mismatched eyes had become foggy and unfocused but the same maniacal smile was still evident on the boy's face, though now each half sported only half a smile. "Is this it Nara? Did you just want to die?"

Rei too stared at Nara's remains. He had been the second person she ever truly considered a friend and although he had attacked them she was still sad that he was dead. Perhaps he had been controlled somehow, turned against them against his will. Regardless of whether or not that was true, Rei shed a silent tear for her dead friend.

Turning her head the blue haired girl looked across at Xera. The other girl floated nearby, out of arm's reach but close enough that Rei could see the expression on her face. She had expected to see some sort of reaction to Nara's death, shock perhaps or maybe sadness. She was certain the silver haired girl had to feel something for her companion of the last few days but all she saw on the teen's face was that same look of resignation she had worn the entire fight.

A sudden feeling of dread overwhelming her, Rei looked back to Nara's remains. The first thing she noticed was that they were no longer falling towards the ground, the second was that they were no longer moving away from each other.

Shinji was too busy lamenting his friend's death to notice that the halves had stopped moving. He did notice however when both eyes suddenly became focused and swiveled to look at him. "What the…?"

Before Shinji could say another word the two halves began to glow with an iridescent light. The light spread along each halves severed side and then began to grow outwards. Forming first into a blob of light then slowly hardening and taking form.

Shinji stood transfixed, unable to move from the sheer shock of what he was witnessing. When the light finally finished forming and condensing he was left facing two copies of Nara, both still glowing with the iridescent light. Slowly the light began to fade and the two copies began to take on a pale flesh tone. As the light faded from their heads the difference between the two was revealed. One of them sported two red eyes and orange hair. The second was contrasting, with two blue eyes and pale, tan hair. The feathers of their wings matched the colour of their hair.

Both halves smiled at Shinji with the same maniacal smile that the original Nara had wore when he was split in half. They spoke, their voices perfectly harmonious. "No Adam, I have no intention of dieing."

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

Asuka let out a shriek of rage as she charged Unit-D, swinging the progressive battle axe around to strike at the enemy Eva. The white behemoth brought up its Longinus Spear to protect itself and the hafts of the two weapons clashed in a shower of sparks. Since Unit-14 was charging there was more force behind the battle axe than the spear and while the Longinus Spear did not break, Unit-D was driven to its knees by the impact. Asuka would have finished it off there and then but was instead forced to spread her wings and take to the sky in order to avoid a spear lunge from Unit-B.

Unfortunately as soon as Unit-14 was airborne it was attacked by Units A, C and E, all of which had already been airborne and circling above the battling Evas. A quick mid-air kick knocked Unit-A's Longinus spear aside and the following back-flip planted both of the red Eva's feet on Unit-E's head, an audible snap announcing the breaking of the white Eva's neck.

Raising its battle axe, Unit-14 was just able to block the downwards swing of Unit-C's Longinus Spear, the pointed weapon sliding along the axe's hafts before being knocked to the side by a punch from the red behemoth. Following up with a swing from one of the axe-heads, Asuka severed Unit-C's left wing, sending the enemy Eva plummeting to the ground below.

Asuka didn't have time to celebrate the victory however as Units A, D and B all came for her at once. Flying higher to avoid their first attacks, she delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Unit-B's back, sending the ex-Seele Eva slamming into the rocky surface. The attack though left Unit-14 exposed and Unit-D scored a hit to the Eva's right side, leaving a large and gaping wound. Crying out in pain, Asuka brought one end of her battle axe down on the attacking Eva's arm. Such was the force behind the attack that it not only cleaved off Unit-D's left arm at the elbow but continued through to cut its spear in two, the bladed half spinning off into the distance.

Whirling around, Asuka came face to face with the still partially deformed face of Unit-A. The IDPS Eva had its spear held high above its head and was no doubt preparing to skewer Unit-14 on the end of the red weapon. It was distracted however by several small boulders being thrown into the air in the distance. Its distraction did not last long but it was long enough for Asuka to put some distance between herself and the five ex-Seele Evas.

The source of the boulders' disturbance was soon revealed as a pair of iron rails shot out of the ground at two separate locations. For a moment they just stood there but then their significance became apparent when two Evas rocketed up from beneath them and came to stand on the surface, their shoulders attached to the iron rails.

Casting a glance over her Eva's shoulder, Asuka looked at the two new arrivals. She recognised the two tri-eyed Evas instantly. "It's about time you showed up bakas. I could use a h…" She was cut off as more boulders were suddenly thrown into the air and two more sets of rails appeared. The redhead's expression blanched, she knew what was about to happen.

Sure enough two more Evas rocketed to the surface. While Asuka was familiar with these two Evas, in her opinion they were far from welcome. Units 15 and 18 were now her enemies and she would like nothing better than to see them destroyed.

As the teenage girl watched the two new arrivals moved to intercept Units 16 and 17. "I guess I won't be getting that backup anytime soon." She immediately forced herself to ignore the plight of her friends and focus on her own fight. After all she was the one outnumbered five to one. Noting that Unit-14's side had finished regenerating and ignoring the still bleeding wound on her cheek, Asuka charged towards her now regrouped opponents.

(Elsewhere, Tokyo-3 Surface)

Not too far from Asuka, Units 16 and 17 were in a standoff against Units 15 and 18. Touji and Kensuke found themselves back-to-back as what had previously been their own Evas circled around them. The two enemy Evas finally came to a stop with Unit-15 standing directly in front of Unit-16 and Unit-18 in the same position with Unit-17.

In the rush to get to the surface neither Touji nor Kensuke had been able to grab a weapon to use in this battle. But of course with the only remaining Longinus Spear locked in Terminal Dogma and the progressive axe in use by Unit-14 there wouldn't have been much to choose from anyway.

Touji and Kensuke however were far from defenseless. Reaching up to their shoulder baffles both of the piloted Evas drew there progressive knives and then charged towards there respective opponents. Seemingly heedless of the Longinus Spears held by the two IDPS Evas.

The mouth of Unit-15 opened in a hideous replica of a smile as it watched Unit-16 charge towards it. It knew that the pitiful progressive knife the approaching Eva held in its hand was no match for the reach and power of the Longinus Spear it itself hold. The smile on its face widening, the Eva started to swing its spear in a wide arc, one that would cut its opponent in two should it continue on its current course. It was surprised therefore when the white Eva jumped up and over its spear, performing a mid-air somersault over the blue Eva's head and landing in a crouch behind it. Whirling around, the soulless Eva was only just fast enough to block a stab from Unit-16's progressive knife with the haft of its spear.

Unit-18 was similarly surprised when its attempt to behead Unit-17 was thwarted by the black Eva rolling under the massive spear then lashing out with a kick at the green Eva's kneecaps. The longheaded Eva was able to avoid the kick but it was surprised the attack had happened in the first place. Neither of the two IDPS Evas would be underestimating their opponents now.

(Meanwhile, Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Shinji could do little but stare at the two Nara halves floating in front of him. He had thought that there was nothing that could surprise him these days but this was definitely a surprise. He had expected that attack to end the threat posed by Nara, not to double his problems.

The two Nara halves on the other hand seemed completely at ease with the current situation. They had not yet attacked Shinji, instead preferring to witness their opponent's surprise and wait for him to recover from his shock.

Shinji finally found the words to speak. "Na…Nara, what has happened to you? What exactly is going on?"

The orange haired Nara smiled viciously. "We are the embodiment of your destruction Adam. We are your doom."

The tan haired Nara nodded in agreement. "We will take our revenge on you and then we will destroy the Lilim. All of them."

Shinji was now certain that this was not the Nara he had known. "You're not Nara. Who are you?"

The two Naras frowned for a moment and then their eyes began to glow. They spoke simultaneously, their voices a hideous fusion of several different voices. None of which Shinji recognised. "We are those who came before, those who were destroyed. And now we live again." The smiles reappeared on their faces. "You have betrayed us father, and so you must die."

Shinji blinked. "Father?" His eyes widened in realisation. "You…you are the Angels. You have taken control of Nara."

The Naras' smiles turned viscous. "Yes, we are the Angels Adam. We are your children. But you have betrayed us and become one with our enemy. And so you must die." Their eyes flitted to Rei then back to Shinji. "Both you and Lilith must die for betraying us. And once you are dead…the Lilim will feel our wrath."

Shinji signed. He signed for the death of the friend he once knew, the friend who had been replaced by the monsters who now floated before him. Slowly, the black haired teen raised his miniature Lancea and held it before him. "I cannot let you do that Nara. No matter how powerful you have become, I promise you. I will defeat you."

(Author's Notes: From this point on the orange haired/red eyed Nara will be referred to as Nara-1 and the tan haired/blue eyed Nara will be referred to as Nara-2.)

Nara-1 generated a blade from each wrist, while Nara-2 held both hands up in front of him. They did not speak but it was clear that they were more than ready to fight.

Shinji knew that this fight was going to be hard. It was going to take everything he had to defeat both Naras and as yet he was still not certain of their abilities. Regardless, this was a battle he had to fight. Holding his Lancea out in front of him he charged towards the two waiting Naras.

Nara-2 immediately fired twin energy beams at the approaching teen. Shinji dodged one and knocked the other aside with his Lancea. He was then immediately forced to contend with the slashing blades of Nara-1, who seemed fully intent on cutting him into ribbons. Using the haft of his weapon, the teenage boy managed to fend of the attack and put some distance between himself and his assailant. He was then immediately forced to dive towards the ground to avoid his head being taken off by an energy beam from the second Nara. The red eyed Nara followed Shinji's dissent, while his blue eyed copy fired off another energy beam in pursuit.

This continued for some time, with Shinji always on the defensive against the two attackers, forced to dodge energy beams while fending off deadly blade attacks. So far he had managed to avoid any form of fatal or crippling attack but he had not survived unscathed. An energy beam from Nara-2 incinerated his left hand, and although his retaliatory blast forced the tan haired boy to stop attacking, he was forced to drop his Lancea to fire it. This left him open to Nara-1's attack. Managing to split open Shinji's stomach with his left blade, the red eyed teen attempted to skewer his unarmed opponent with his second blade. He was foiled however when Shinji blasted out with his concentrated AT field, forcing him to break off the assault.

Touching down on the chamber's floor, Shinji reached down and retrieved his black Lancea with his now regenerated left hand. He glanced down briefly to witness the wound on his stomach heal over and the blood flow evaporate. Hefting his weapon, he looked up at the two Naras floating above him. "You two are powerful, I'll give you that. But…" He raised his right arm high above his head. "It doesn't mean I won't win." His slashed downwards with his arm, sending out his AT field in a wide arc.

Nara-1 prepared to defend himself from the razor-sharp extension of Shinji's AT field, raising his arms up in front of him and concentrating his AT field around his body. Nara-2 however just smiled. Shadows began to spread out from his back, forming into a large circle behind him. Just as Shinji's AT field was about to reach him the blue eyed boy propelled himself back through the circle. As soon as he was in the circle disappeared, taking Nara-2 along with it.

Even with Nara-2's escape, the AT field attack still had a target. Moving at unbelievable speeds it slammed into Nara-1's arms. For a short moment the orange haired boy was able to hold the attack off but he could not keep up the defense. With all the strength he could muster, the teen brought his blades down on the glowing energy, attempting to split it apart. He succeeded, to a degree. While the attack did indeed break apart, part of it still connected with the red eyed boy, severing his left arm at the shoulder and sending the unfortunate limb falling to the floor below.

While glad to see that he managed to damage Nara-1, Shinji was worried greatly by Nara-2's escape, more specifically by the manner of his escape. That portal he had escaped through could only have been one thing. A Sea of Dirac. Which meant that the boy could generate them at will. Which made him a very dangerous opponent indeed. That Nara-1 had not escaped the same way suggested that he did not share this ability, a small mercy if nothing else.

Shinji suddenly felt some sort of darkness below him and, looking down, realised that a black shadow was spreading from beneath his feet. He immediately propelled himself into the air but he did not quite move fast enough. A pale skinned hand shot out from the shadow and grabbed hold of Shinji's left ankle, attempting to pull the boy into the darkness. When the black winged boy resisted, a second hand rose from the shadow and joined its companion on the teen's ankle.

Struggling to keep himself above the shadow, Shinji hefted his Lancea. The elongated teen intended to bring the weapon down on Nara-2's hands, severing his own foot if necessary.

Before the blow could fall however, a bright light from above drew Shinji's attention away from the shadow. Looking up he saw Nara-1 floating near the chamber ceiling. The boy had clearly regenerated his left arm as he now held both out before him, a glowing bubble forming in front of them. Bits of the red eyed teen's skin began to break off and fuse themselves with the bubble, along with a steady stream of the boy's blood. The more that flowed into the bubble, the brighter it became.

Still held by Nara-2's pale hands, Shinji realised that Nara-1 had intentionally allowed himself to be hit. Due to the boy's injury Shinji had made the mistake of ignoring him in favour of his double. The orange haired Nara had used the time he was given affectively. The basketball sized orb before him was proof of that.

Nara-1 smiled widely as his AT field bubble reached the desired power, enough power to destroy his opponent. "And now Adam, you die!" Bringing his arms back slightly, he thrust them forward, sending the glowing orb streaking through the air towards Shinji.

Although he did not recognise this attack, Shinji had no doubt that it was destructively powerful and would most likely prove deadly should it connect. He came to a quick decision and swung down with his miniature Lancea, cleaving through Nara-2's fingers and his own ankle. A hiss of pain could be heard rising from the shadow as the two hands vanished back into the darkness. This sound was ignored by Shinji as he propelled himself high into the air.

The AT field bubble shot by just below the teenage boy, continuing through to slam into the ground where Shinji had previously stood. A blinding flash of light obscured everything in the chamber from view.

The light washed over Shinji, followed by an unbearable wave of heat. Fighting against the urge to blackout, the winged teen focused his AT field as much as he could around his body.

The wave of heat spread throughout the rest of the chamber, though it lessened in intensity the further it spread. By the time it had reached Rei and Xera it contained nowhere near enough energy to injure either girl. Xera extended her AT field around Naoki, protecting the child from the heat. The baby was the only thing keeping Rei out of this fight. She could not be allowed to die.

Slowly the light began to recede, taking the heat along with it. It shrunk back towards its point of origin before eventually disappearing altogether. As soon as the light had vanished the damage the AT field bubble had caused became apparent. A large crater, some hundred meters across and almost half as deep had been gouged out of the chamber's floor. A section of wall that had been caught within the explosive radius had vanished entirely. The now unstable wall was badly cracked, with small pieces continually falling to the floor. Of the Sea of Dirac there was no sign. It had vanished, taking Nara-2 along with it.

Shinji floated above the crater's center, his body scarred and bloodied. Second and third degree burns marked his entire form and his eyes had been seared shut. His damaged body was already beginning to regenerate and his S2 organ had remained undamaged but he could feel the pain permeating throughout his being. He had survived, but for a moment he almost wished he hadn't.

The pain soon diminished however and Shinji's senses returned. He could not allow himself to die. He needed to stay alive for the sake of the world, and, more importantly, for the sake of Rei and Naoki. Slowly, Shinji opened his eyes. And dodged the blade plunging towards his chest.

Nara-1's eyes widened in surprise, he had not expected Shinji to recover so soon. He had underestimated Shinji's resolve to live, and overextended himself as a result. As such, he was unable to defend himself when his opponent swung downwards with the still largely undamaged Lancea in his left hand. The weapon severed the orange haired boy's right arm and continued through to carve a deep wound in his side.

Nara-1 cried out in agony, and, through the powerful bond they shared, Nara-2 heard. A Sea of Dirac opened directly behind Shinji and two arms reached out to grab him. They grabbed only air however as the winged boy flew up and out of their reach.

Growling in anger and pain, Nara-1 raised his left arm and pointed it at Shinji. The arm began to elongate and went racing through the air towards its intended target, a glowing black blade still extending from its wrist.

Shinji was not bothered by the arms approach. He was merely surprised that Nara-1 would try such a pointless attack. With a single swing of his Lancea he severed the limb below the wrist, ignoring the spurt of blood that flowed over him. The calmness of his expression vanished however as he looked down and saw what Nara-1 was really up to. The red eyed teen had already regenerate his right arm and a now all too familiar AT field bubble floated before it. A slight smile crossed the winged boy's face, and then the bubble was launched towards Shinji.

This bubble did not appear as bright as the last one and so it was safe to assume it was less powerful, but Shinji still had no doubt it could do some serious damage if it connected. Thinking fast, he dived to the right and out of the orb's path. Exactly what the Naras wanted him to do.

The moment Shinji had begun to move a Sea of Dirac had opened directly in his path. By the time Shinji had seen it he had only two choices. Fly through the portal or take the AT field bubble head on. Even if the bubble didn't kill him, he knew it would at least leave him vulnerable to an attack from either Nara. He chose to travel through the portal.

Nara-1 had followed in the wake of his projectile and smiled wickedly upon seeing Shinji dive through the Sea of Dirac. Ignoring the orb's detonation against the far wall, he himself flew through the portal. As soon as the winged boy had passed through completely the portal closed, the shadow vanishing in the light from the nearby explosion.

Rei ignored the AT field bubble's explosion. Her eyes were glued on the spot where the portal had once been. The portal which had taken her Shin-chan. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Shinji, please come back. You promised."

Beside the blue haired girl Xera cast a glance down at the baby girl still held in her arms. Even she did not know why Nara was doing this, except that it had something to do with the Angel's within him. She wished this could be different, but it wasn't and she accepted that. She would stand by Nara to the end. Because…because he was the one who taught her that her life was worth something.

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

Ducking under a swing from Unit-E's Longinus Spear, Asuka whirled around and planted her foot in the white Eva's stomach, propelling it backwards to land in a crouch some distance away. Swinging the progressive battle axe around, she cut a deep wound across Unit-B's chest, causing the enemy Eva to stumble backwards and break off its attack.

Noticing the approach of Unit-A to her right and Unit-C to her left Asuka spread her Eva's red wings and prepared to take to the sky. Unit-E had come at her once again though and with one swing from its spear, tore Unit-14's wings from its back.

Although Asuka herself lacked such appendages, she felt the pain of their removal and cried out in agony. Though her wings had been removed she was not completely grounded. Pushing off the ground with her Eva's powerful legs she back flipped over Unit-E's head. Landing behind the massive Eva, she buried one head of her axe in its back, destroying the Internal Dummy Plug System that controlled it. Without anything to command its body to move, the white Eva slumped forward, standing motionless among its comrades.

Smiling in triumph, Asuka ripped her weapon from the motionless Eva's back and prepared herself for the IDPS Evas' inevitable counterattack. Said counterattack came in the form of a three-pronged attack from Units A, C and B, two charging from either side, the third diving down from above.

Unit-A was felled by a quick sweep kick to its legs and Unit-C was knocked backwards when Unit-14's immense fist collided with its face, the following scissor kick knocking the Eva's weapon from its hand. Back flipping, Unit-14 was just able to avoid being skewered by Unit-B's spear thrust from above. The spear did however leave a long wound along the red Eva's right leg.

Landing on its feet, Unit-14 stumbled slightly on its damaged leg. Within the cockpit Asuka glared at the four white Eva's arrayed against her. It appeared that the previously disarmed Unit-D had taken Unit-E's disused spear and now held it as its own.

(Elsewhere, Tokyo-3 Surface)

Touji jabbed at Unit-15's stomach with his Eva's progressive knife. He failed to bury the knife to the hilt in the blue Eva's stomach as he had wished, but he did manage to leave a deep cut across his opponent's abdomen. Extending his Eva's white wings, he took to the sky to avoid the retaliatory spear swing from Unit-15. Extending its own wings, the IDPS Eva followed him into the air.

Touji had been expecting as much and used his superior altitude to kick at the enemy Eva's head. The attack connected but failed to slow down Unit-15, which hefted its Longinus Spear and drove the tip towards Unit-16's chest.

Nimble moving out of the way off the dangerous spear, Touji hurled his knife at the blue Eva's neck. Not expecting such an attack, Unit-15 failed to move in time and the entire blade-length vanished into its throat. The Eva immediately lifted one hand from its spear to clutch at the knife's handle.

Touji made his move. Swinging out with Unit-16's left arm he landed a powerful punch against the damaged Eva's chest, distracting it from his real goal. Before Unit-15 could react, the white Eva's right hand had closed on the haft of the Longinus Spear and was attempting to pull the large weapon from its owner's hands. The blue Eva immediately tightened its grip on the weapon and brought its second hand back to the haft. At the same time though Unit-16's left hand also closed on the long weapon and a tug of war began. A tug of war that would decide possession of the Longinus Spear.

At first the two Evas seemed evenly matched but then, ever so slowly, the spear began to edge towards Unit-16. The strength of the two behemoths should have been equal and yet it was clear that the white Eva was the stronger. Slowly, inch by inch, the Longinus Spear began to be pulled from Unit-15's grasp.

At the same time the AT fields of both Evas flared out, the air around them shimmering and clouds of dust and rocks being kicked up below. If Unit-15 thought such a show of power would help it reclaim its weapon it was sadly mistaken.

With one last tug Touji tore the Longinus Spear free of the enemy Eva's grasp. He allowed a slight smile to show on his face, knowing he had won.

Realising its chances of victory had substantially decreased, Unit-15 deployed its progressive knife and dived towards the ground. Its latest command from the MAGI was to avoid Unit-16 as much as possible and await reinforcement.

Touji however wasn't prepared to waste time chasing after the blue Eva, bringing back his Eva's arm he let fly with the Longinus Spear, hurling it at the retreating Eva's back. Streaking through the air, the spear collided with the Eva's back and nailed it to the ground, passing straight through its S2 organ.

(Elsewhere, Tokyo-3 Surface)

Kensuke warily circled Unit-18, staying just out of range of the green Eva's Longinus Spear. The enemy Eva might have underestimated Kensuke at first but it was not about to make that same mistake again.

Whirling around, Kensuke attempted to kick the Longinus Spear aside but was unable to do so when Unit-18 raised the spear, carrying it over his Eva's foot. He next attempted a sweeping spin kick but the green Eva simply deployed its wings and flew above his reach. Kensuke took a moment to consider his next move, bending down and picking up a small boulder in his Eva's left hand for no apparent reason.

Deciding on a course of action the glasses-wearing boy deployed his Eva's black wings and took to the sky, heading straight for Unit-18. Just outside of the green Eva's reach Kensuke brought his left arm slashing down, sending the boulder he still held racing towards Unit-18's chest. The IDPS Eva knocked the rock aside with a swing from its Longinus Spear but in doing so allowed Unit-17 to get closer. Bringing its colossal spear back around, the massive Eva plunged it into the black Eva's left shoulder and ripped upwards, tearing off the entire arm.

Kensuke cried out in pain but nevertheless remembered his goal. Strengthening his Eva's grip on its progressive knife he plunged it into the enemy Eva's chest, feeling the S2 organ crack.

(Airspace over Tokyo-3)

Two angular jets circled high above the battling Eva's below. They had each only just arrived in the last few seconds and their pilots were wondering what they were meant to do now. The last thing they expected to see upon arrival was a bunch of Evas fighting each other.

One of the jets had come from Nerv-03 in America and the clamps on its underbelly held an Eva identical in shape to Unit-15, though it was coloured silver and brown in a style reminiscent of Unit-19. The writing on its forearm proclaimed it as Unit-21

The second jet had come from Nerv-02 in Germany. The clamps on its underbelly held an Eva which's form matched that of Unit-14 and which shared the same colouring as Unit-21. Its forearm proclaimed it to be Unit-20.

Before either pilot could come to a decision, they found their piloting systems remotely hacked and overridden by an outside source. The aircrafts' ejection seats were activated and the hapless men were launched out of their vessels. There was a single loud click as the clamps on both jets disengaged and the final two IDPS Evas went plummeting towards the ground.

* * *

End Notes: Not much to say here, review if you have anything to say, otherwise go ahead and read part 2. As always, constructive criticism is welcome. 


	10. Third Impact Revisited: Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Author's Notes: Here's part 2 of Chapter 9/10. I hope you enjoyed part 1 and that you enjoy this part just as much. This part will feature the conclusion of the battles started in part 1.

* * *

**10. Third Impact Revisited: Part 2**

(Unknown Location)

Looking around, Shinji saw that he had emerged into a dimension of infinite whiteness. Identical in appearance to the dimension that Leliel had transferred him to when he was absorbed by the 12th Angel.

Nara-2 floated before Shinji, his arms folded across his chest. "Welcome Adam, to my world." He slowly unfolded his arms and raised them up before him.

Shinji eyed the tan haired Nara warily. He did not know what Nara-2 had planned but he could guess it wasn't good. Half turning, he looked back at the portal behind him just in time to see Nara-1 emerge from it. The portal closed directly behind the orange haired teen, who once again wielded twin blades.

For almost a minute the three boys just floated in the whiteness, waiting to see who would make the first move.

Nara-1 lost his patience first. Propelling himself through the air, he charged Shinji, his blades held out before him.

Shinji blocked Nara-1's initial attack with his Lancea but was then forced to fly up in order to avoid a pair of energy beams fired by Nara-2. His bladed opponent followed his ascent and took a swing at his exposed legs. Lifting his legs, the black haired teen was just able to avoid the attack but in doing so was unable to completely avoid Nara-2's next beam, which left a long and painful wound across his back.

This continued for some time, with Nara-2 using beam attacks to assault Shinji and Nara-1 attacking with blade strikes. Though Shinji's left foot had entirely regenerated, his body was still damaged from the AT field bubble attack and he was not always able to move fast enough to entirely avoid the Naras' attacks. Several cuts and burn marks were testament to that.

As time passed though, Shinji's older injuries where rapidly healing and none of his knew wounds were serious enough to slow him down for long.

Using his Lancea to block both of Nara-1's blades, Shinji swung around and kicked the boy's noise with the heel of his right foot. He hit the protruding body part with such power that it was pushed back and up into the boy's brain, disorienting him enough to force the breaking off of his attack. This gave Shinji enough time to fire an energy beam at Nara-2 which not only knocked aside an energy beam fired by the blue eyed teen but blasted through the boy's right shoulder, leaving a painful and gaping hole.

Clutching at his damaged shoulder, Nara-2 opened a Sea of Dirac below him and quickly dropped into it. At the same Nara-1 returned to his senses, his nose having been pushed out of his brain and back to its original position. Growling, the red eyed Nara glared at Shinji. His eyes flashed.

A black cross-flare erupted below Shinji, rushing upwards and attempting to swallow the winged boy whole. Moving as fast as he could, Shinji just managed to dodge the attack, using his AT field to slow down the flare's approach. There was no floor so the cross-flare simply hung in midair.

Just when Shinji thought he was safe a Sea of Dirac opened near the tip of the cross-flare and a long glowing noodle-like object shot out, making a bee-line straight for him. Shinji dodged the attack but was then immediately forced to contend with a second, identical object. This time Shinji was not quite fast enough to dodge, and the glowing end of the white rope collided with his chest.

The skin around the glowing bud immediately began to mutate, veins standing out against the skin. Shinji reacted quickly and swung downwards with his black Lancea, severing the glowing object just short of his body. A torrent of blood spurted from the severed end and it rebounded back towards its source.

Following the rope's path with his eyes, Shinji noticed that Nara-2 had emerged from the Sea of Dirac while he was distracted and that the noodle-like appendages were actually the boy's arms. Even as Shinji watched, the damaged limb reformed into the tan haired teen's left arm.

Shinji did not have time to dwell on this new development as he was forced to dive downwards to avoid a sweep from Nara-2's right arm, which was still in its long, glowing form. As Shinji looked down however he discovered that Nara-1 was waiting for him, his blades held ready.

The two red eyed teens clashed in a shower of sparks, their weapons colliding again and again. It was clear by now that Shinji was the stronger of the two but Nara-1 was still powerful enough to put up a decent fight. Especially since he only had to hold Shinji off long enough for Nara-2 to make his move.

Shinji deflected one particularly vicious swing from Nara-1's right blade and prepared to counterattack. However, before he could do so, a Sea of Dirac opened a sort distance behind him and Nara-2's arms shot out in their glowing noodle-like form, followed by the tan haired teen himself. Spinning on the spot, the pale skinned boy jabbed the butt of his Lancea into Nara-1's chest and completed the spin to face the oncoming limbs.

Shinji was surprised when the arms didn't try to hit him, instead moving pass to either side of him. Knowing this was some form of trap he raised his Lancea and prepared to bring it down on one of the offending appendages.

Just as the black weapon was about to fall, the black haired boy caught sight of Nara-1 out of the corner of his eye. The orange haired teen's eyes flashed.

A cross-flare erupted below Shinji's feet and he realised too late that he had been boxed off. With the cross-flare below him, the two Naras too either side of him and Nara-2's arms in front and behind him, the only way to go was up. And that was exactly where the black cross was heading. Crossing his arms and closing his eyes, Shinji concentrated his AT field and prepared himself to take the hit.

As the giant black cross engulfed Shinji, the two Naras were already preparing their next move. Nara-2's arms had been severed by the cross-flare and he had retreated back into the safety of his Sea of Dirac to recover. Nara-1 on the other hand had both hands held out before him and was in the process of generating his favourite attack. An AT field bubble.

Eventually the cross-flare faded and disappeared, leaving Shinji once again floating in whiteness. The boy's concentrated AT field had provided him with sufficient protection against the energy-based attack and he appeared to be largely unscathed. The problem was that the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was an AT field bubble racing towards him.

This particular bubble was much larger than the previous two and was therefore more difficult to dodge. Shinji just barely managed to dive low enough to get under the glowing orb and was forced to perform the maneuver at such speeds that there was no way he could possible slow down in time to avoid the Sea of Dirac that opened before him. Annoyed at being outplayed once again, Shinji flew into the shadow.

The AT field bubble continued to fly off into the nothingness around it but no-one paid it any heed. Nara-1, the last sole occupant of the strange white dimension, disappeared into the Sea of Dirac, the portal promptly closing behind him.

On the other end of the portal Shinji emerged into a world of flames. Unlike the previous dimension, this one had structure. There was ground below Shinji's feet and a sky above. The strange thing was that everything seemed to be on fire. Burning flames rose from the ground and the sky itself was a baleful red, almost as if it itself was alight. To a normal person the heat would have been unbearable, cooking their insides in seconds. But Shinji was not a normal person, and neither were the Naras.

Before Shinji could dwell further on this strange place, Nara-2 emerged from the flames before him and fired an energy beam at his chest. Spreading his wings Shinji took to the sky, flying up and over the energy beam. As he looked down, he saw Nara-1 emerged from the closing Sea of Dirac, his orange hair and wings oddly fitting in this place.

As Nara-1 took to the sky in pursuit of Shinji, Nara-2 raised both arms up in front of him. Immediately the limbs began to elongate and mutate, forming into the rope-like appendages that had previously caused Shinji so much trouble. One of the glowing arms made an immediate bee-line for the black winged teen, heading straight for his chest.

Raising his Lancea, Shinji got ready to sever the approaching limb, painfully aware that he had allowed himself to become too focused on the tan haired Nara and had as a result lost track of his orange haired counterpart. As the tentacle resembling appendage closed in however it suddenly flattened out and took on a steely-grey hue. It rapidly changed course and bent around Shinji's Lancea, its razor sharp edge leaving a deep wound on the black haired teen's right cheek.

Shinji did not have time to pay any heed to his new injury as Nara-2's second arm sliced through the air towards him, having assumed the same shape as the other limb. This time the attack was aimed directly at his chest. As quick as he could Shinji raised his AT field and concentrated it between himself and the approaching razor blade.

The elongated appendage collided with the AT field at full speed, and came to a complete stop, unable to penetrate the powerful barrier. Shinji found though that maintaining the defensive field was by no means easy and knew that eventually he would have to find a way to lower the field without being hit.

Just as Shinji was about to make his move he suddenly felt some sort of presence. It only took him a second to figure out who it was. Nara-1 was back, and looking to impale his winged opponent on the end of his blades.

Thinking fast, Shinji performed a midair back flip, placing his hands on Nara-1's shoulders and pushing off, propelling himself high above the other boy. At the same time he retracted his AT field, releasing Nara-2's arm.

Nara-1 only had enough time to blink in surprise before the razor sharp limb was released upon him. Nara-2 didn't have enough time to adjust the trajectory of his arm and before either Nara knew what had happened, the bladed appendage had cleaved through the red eyed Nara's neck, sending his head flying from his shoulders to disappear into the flames below. The headless body, now without any sense of direction, fell slowly towards the ground.

For the first time in the battle Nara-2 looked shocked. He certainly hadn't intended for that to happen. He hadn't even considered it as a possible outcome of his attack. It was fortunate for the two Naras that Nara-1's S2 organ had remained undamaged. For despite having lost his head, the orange haired Nara was still very much alive.

In his shock Nara-2 allowed himself to become distracted and so Shinji was able to close the gap between them. The blue eyed Nara was not as gifted in close-range combat as his companion and opened a Sea of Dirac to retreat through. He attempted to close the shadowy portal behind him but his opponent moved faster than he had expected, managing to pass through the portal before it closed.

The portal finally vanished completely, taking Nara-2 and Shinji along with it. For a moment everything was still except for the flickering flames. Then Nara-1's body stepped out of the inferno, his severed head held in his arms. Slowly the pale skinned body lifted the head and held it to its severed neck. The teen twisted the head twice, once to either side, and then let go. As he raised his now reattached head, his dark red eyes stared at where the portal had once been. Knowing that he had no way to leave this dimension by himself he kneeled down on the rocky surface below him and began to concentrate.

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

Still engaged with the four white IDPS Evas, Asuka found that her Eva was now fighting on top of the corpse of Seele's Last Angel. After the last attack, Nerv had had nowhere near the amount of resources necessary to dispose of the gargantuan Angel's corpse. Now it made an interesting battlefield for the Evas.

Unit-B tried to take down Unit-14 with a dive attack from above but ended up smashing its way into the Last Angel's body when the red Eva jumped to its right. Realising that she'd have a better chance of defeating the enemy Eva within the confines of the Angel's rotting corpse, Asuka followed Unit-B through its entry hole.

The remaining three ex-Seele Evas relayed these events to the MAGI who ordered all three Units to remain outside the corpse. It was simply too dangerous to commit to a battle in such a confined space, against such a powerful opponent.

Upon entering the hole, Unit-14 came face-to-face with Unit-B. The ex-Seele Eva had been about to exit the Last Angel's body the same way it had entered but was stopped by the piloted Eva's sudden appearance.

Taking advantage of the white Eva's surprise Asuka kneed it hard in the face and then took off its left leg with the progressive battle axe. As Unit-B stumbled backwards the fiery redhead swung the other end of the progressive battle axe up and around, cleanly decapitating the enemy Eva, as well as splitting open a huge chunk of dead flesh. Half-dry blood flowed over the two Evas, soaking their entire bodies in the dark red goo.

Asuka ignored the blood, silently thankful that the Eva's environment systems did not allow the fetid stench of the rotting corpse to penetrate into the entry plug. Stepping forward she prepared to finish Unit-B. Its teammates had abandoned it, she had crippled it. And now it was time for it to die.

With a single powerful swing, Asuka buried one end of her progressive in the headless Eva's chest, smiling in satisfaction as she felt her enemy's S2 organ break apart under the force of her blow.

Turning around Unit-14 walked back to the hole it had entered through and jumped out, coming to land back on the corpse's outer skin.

It was an obvious move and the last three ex-Seele Evas had been waiting for it.

As soon as the blood soaked Eva emerged from the Last Angel it was set upon by all three of its opponents. They swooped down towards it, aware that since the red Eva had lost its own wings it would not be able to escape by flying away.

Asuka soon found herself having to contend with three simultaneous spear lunges, she knew that their was no way that she could counter them all but she figured she might as well stop as many as possible.

Unit-D had the head of its Longinus Spear cut off by Unit-14's battle axe, along with all of the fingers of its right hand.

Unit-C's attack route was blocked by the other end of the massive axe, which was beginning to swing around towards the Eva's arm. Still adjusting from the first attack however, the axe wasn't quite fast enough to totally stop the white Eva's attack. Instead Unit-C's Longinus Spear cut off one of the weapon's heads and continued through to sever Unit-14's left arm at the elbow. The defencive maneuver was only successful in that the spear did not pierce the red Eva's chest, as had been the attacking Eva's intention.

While Units D and C might have failed in their attacks Unit-A had no intention of doing the same. It approached from behind Unit-14 and fully intended to stab the red behemoth in the back. However, the four eyed Eva dropped to the ground at the last moment and the white Eva's Longinus Spear went over its head. Bringing up both feet Unit-14 kicked Unit-A in the chest with all the strength it had left. Asuka put so much power into the attack that the enemy Eva was sent flying, crashing through one of the Last Angel's arms and becoming buried in the torrent of dead tissue that poured out of the wound.

Bringing her Eva back to its feet, Asuka jumped backwards, attempting to put as much distance as she could between herself and Units D and C. She was all too aware that with only one useable arm and a now single-headed axe, her chances of winning this battle had just gone down considerably.

(Elsewhere, Tokyo-3 Surface)

Unit-20 spread its wings at the last moment, veering up to make a controlled landing in front of Unit-16. As soon as its feet had touched the ground, the silver and brown Eva hefted its Longinus Spear and charged towards Touji's Eva.

Fortunately for Touji he saw the attack coming and blocked it with his own Longinus Spear. He blocked the next attack as well, and the next, and the next. He counterattacked but Unit-20 blocked and attacked again. Touji blocked and then counterattacked.

For a whole minute the two Evas fought back and forth, neither of them able to gain the upper hand. There were injuries, a nasty cut along Unit-16 right forearm and a deep cut across the right side of Unit-20's chest an example of these.

Eventually Unit-20 knocked Unit-16's legs out from under it with a well time sweep kick, sending the white Eva falling towards the ground. This didn't mean Touji was defenseless though, as when the soulless Eva attempted to stab him from above with its Longinus Spear he rolled to the side, avoiding the attack. Flipping back onto its feet, Unit-16 brought its own Longinus Spear down on the enemy Eva's left shoulder, cutting off the Eva's left shoulder baffle and leaving a deep wound in its flesh.

Touji would have finished the Eva off there and then but it turned around with phenomenal speed and managed to deflect his next attack. The two behemoths went back to trading blows with their spears.

(Elsewhere, Tokyo-3 Surface)

Unit-21 did not bother using its wings to pull itself up. It slammed into the ground at full speed, pushing jagged rocks out of the ground in a wide circle around its landing place, and leaving a large depression in the ground. Pushing aside the debris, it rose to its full height and leaped from the crater it had made. Sailing over the jagged rocks, it landed in front of the black form of Unit-17.

Kensuke had retrieved Unit-18's Longinus Spear but he had not had the time to reattach his Eva's severed arm. As such he was less than confident in his ability to beat Unit-21. Unit-17 slowly began to back away from the silver and brown Eva.

Unbothered by its opponent's clear reluctance to fight, Unit-21 jumped to the attack. Leaping through the air it brought its Longinus Spear down in an overhead swing with the intention of splitting Unit-17 in two. Kensuke hurriedly raised his own spear to protect himself and the two weapons collided.

Wielding its Longinus Spear with only one hand and defending from an opponent attacking from above, Unit-17 was at a severe disadvantage. Unit-21 forced the black Eva to its knees and then somersaulted over its head. Before Kensuke could stop it, it had swiped its Longinus Spear across his Eva's back, leaving a large cut just below the tri-eyed Eva's entry plug and knocking it to the ground.

Kensuke tried to rise but it was already too late. Reaching into the cut it had made, Unit-21 grabbed onto Unit-17's entry plug and pulled. The skin and metal around the plug gave way with ease and the IDPS Eva tore it from the black Eva's back. It held onto the plug for only a second before crushing it in its armoured fist and violently throwing it to the ground.

In need of a new opponent, Unit-21 headed for the battle between Units 16 and 20.

(Meanwhile, Unknown Location)

Upon emerging from the Sea of Dirac Shinji saw Nara-2 standing directly in front of him. He immediately lunged forward with his Lancea but the weapon's two-pronged head struck a hard surface instead of flesh. The image of Nara-2 cracked and then shattered. Looking around, the winged boy realised why.

He was standing in some sort of frozen maze. Every surface, be it wall, ceiling or floor appeared to be made of pure crystalline ice. Corridors of ice headed off in every direction, some of them branching off to the side, others heading straight up or straight down, must of them doing something in-between. And, as Shinji had just discovered, the ice was as reflective as glass, meaning that the black haired boy was surrounding by images of himself and of Nara-2.

While Shinji tried to figure out his best course of action, the voice of Nara-2 suddenly echoed down the corridors. "I must admit Adam, I had not expected you to be fast enough to get through my portal before it closed. However you will find that following me here was a mistake."

Shinji kept his face expressionless as he tried to pinpoint his opponent's location. "I think you will find you are mistaken Nara. Without your other half here you don't stand a chance of defeating me."

The sound of a hideous laugh filled the corridor around Shinji. "I think you will find I have more than enough power to defeat you Adam. Besides, right now my other half has something else to attend to." On the walls around Shinji the Nara-2 images began to move but with the multitude of reflections it was impossible to tell in which direction the actual Nara-2 was moving.

Shinji decided that he wasn't going to get anywhere with all these reflections around and so he concentrated his AT field and then blasted it out in waves. The waves spread over the walls of the corridor and blasted them apart, shattering the mirror images of Nara-2. There was of course more ice behind the first layer but it was far less smooth and the images it reflected were fractured and incomplete.

With his reflections destroyed, Nara-2 was left standing out in the open, barely ten meters in front of his opponent. Knowing he had been uncovered, the tan haired teen immediately fired an energy beam from his right palm and transformed his left arm into its glowing form before sending it flying through the air towards Shinji.

Shinji knocked the energy beam aside with his miniature Lancea and jumped to the side in time to avoid the glowing appendage lunging for his chest. Bringing his black weapon up and down the red eyed teen severed the glowing limb halfway along its length.

Before Nara-2 could fully regenerate his arm, Shinji jumped to the attack, his Lancea held out before him.

(Nerv, Terminal Dogma)

Two Nerv agents flanked Gendo Ikari as he walked down one of the twisting corridors of Terminal Dogma. Neither man knew what exactly the commander had planned, and neither of them cared either. Their job was to protect him, not to ask questions.

Turning down a side corridor, the three men stopped before a large iron door. Gendo quickly swiped his key card through the door's lock, prompting the solid bulkhead to slide up into the wall above.

As soon as the door was out of the road the contents of the room beyond was revealed. It was a singular Eva bay, similar to the one in which Unit-19 had been constructed. Held within its restraints was the fully reconstructed form of Unit-04. All of its missing armour plates had been installed and its left arm had been fully completed.

Gendo smiled viciously as he stepped onto the gantry at the silver Eva's back and began walking towards its already ejected entry plug.

Before Gendo could reach the plug however, someone stepped out of the shadows at the edge of the gantry and leveled a gun at the commander's head. It didn't take long for Gendo to recognise his assailant as being none other than Doctor Ritsuko Akagi.

The two Nerv agents immediately leveled their own guns at Ritsuko's head but they knew that they would be unable to kill her without causing her to fire her own weapon, meaning that they were unable to attack.

Ritsuko looked down the barrel of her pistol at the commander's face, her expression cold. "Tell me one thing before I kill you Gendo. What were you hoping to achieve here? You know you cannot pilot the Eva."

Gendo did not seem at all bothered by the weapon pointed at his forehead, he maintained his vicious smile. "Ah, but that is where you are wrong doctor. I have changed you see. Now I _can_ pilot the Eva, and so much more." An invisible force suddenly ripped the pistol from Ritsuko's hands and proceeded to crush it into dust.

Shocked by the loss of her weapon, Ritsuko took a step backwards. "Wha…how? How did you do that?"

Gendo continued to smile as he advanced towards the unfortunate doctor. "I have altered myself, using Seele's research into humanoid Angels. I have become an Angel. I am a god among men." By the tone of his voice it was abundantly clear that he had lost at least some portion of his sanity.

Trying to back up even further, Ritsuko tripped on a protruding grating and fell to the floor. "You think yourself a god? I think you are a demon."

Gendo opened his mouth to say something, but then he shook his head, appearing to partially return to his senses. The black haired man turned to his two guards and waved a dismissive hand at Ritsuko. "Kill her."

Ritsuko eyes widened slightly and she opened her mouth to speak, but whatever she had wanted to say, the words never left her lips. The doctor's body slumped to floor, two bullet holes marking her forehead.

Gendo meanwhile turned back to Unit-04 and walked resolutely towards the Eva's entry plug. Using Seele's research he had significantly increased the silver Eva's power and with his own newfound powers he would be able to control the Eva. Once under control he would use the powerful Eva to destroy Shinji once and for all. He evidently did not trust Nara to finish the job. Steeping up to the side of the ejected entry plug, the commander raised his foot to step inside.

The foot was retracted however as the Eva suddenly shook. The massive behemoth was beginning to move and yet no-one was in the entry plug, which hadn't even been ejected. Nevertheless the Eva was definitely moving, straining against its supports.

With a shriek of metal the silver Eva managed to tear its right arm free of its restraints and reaching up behind its back, closed its hand around the utterly shocked commander.

Bringing its hand back in front of its face, the red eyed Eva seemed almost to glare at the suit-clad man in its hand. Its still unrestrained mouth opened and then a hideous sound rose from its throat that was only barely recognisable as speech. "I do not remember this being part of the plan Gendo."

Clearly the Eva had never been intended to be able to speak. Its words were so horribly spoken that it took Gendo a moment to realise what it had said. Once he deciphered its speech though he quickly realised who it was he was talking to. The only person he knew who could possibly be remotely controlling the Eva. "Hello Nara."

A terribly distorted laugh rose from Unit-04's throat and for a moment an image of an orange haired version of Nara appeared in the commander's mind, also laughing. "Did you really think that altering this Eva would severe my link to it? When will you foolish Lilim learn that you cannot compete with the likes of me."

Despite his current predicament, Gendo smiled coldly. "Oh, but I am no longer one of the Lilim." Focusing his ill gained AT field around his body, he attempted to force Unit-04's fingers apart. The Eva's fingers however remained resolutely closed and for a moment a flash of panic crossed the commander's face. The panic though disappeared quickly and the commander tried once again to force the silver Eva to release him. When it did not work a second time the panic returned, and this time it stayed.

Another horrifying laugh rose from Unit-04's throat. "See Lilim, you are nothing compared to me." Its face twisted into a sickening smile. "You have served your purpose. I no longer have any use for you." Before Gendo could say anything else it clenched its right fist, crushing the commander to a pulp. Its own purpose served, the silver Eva slumped forward in its supports, Nara having already left its mind.

Left behind, the two Nerv agents could do little but stare, unable to fully comprehend what they had just witnessed. One thing though was certain. The commander was dead, and they were out of a job.

(Unknown Location)

Nara-2 was losing. It was abundantly apparent that he was simply too weak to defeat Shinji by himself. He was managing to survive but he was becoming increasingly injured. Cuts and bruises covered his body, appearing faster than he was able to regenerate.

As Shinji battered at the blue eyed Nara he truly realised for the first time in this battle that the individual Nara halves were not as strong as the original. Together they might be a powerful force but individually they were not so difficult. Turning slightly to avoid an energy beam from Nara-2's left hand, the black haired teen plunged his black Lancea into his opponent's abdomen. Leaving a gaping hole that passed right through the tan haired boy's body.

Crying out in pain and propelling himself backwards, Nara-2 ripped the Lancea head from his battered body. Turning he leaped into a corridor that headed straight down and flew down it as fast as he could. As he flew a Sea of Dirac began to form near the corridor's base.

Shinji followed Nara-2 down the passageway and saw the Sea of Dirac forming. He accelerated as fast as he could in an attempt to catch the winged teen but was unable to do so. As he watched his target vanished through the shadowy portal, which immediately began to shrink in on itself. The red eyed boy tried to reach the portal before it closed but he was not quite fast enough. It closed completely, leaving him stranded in the strange icy dimension.

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

Touji witnessed the death of his friend. He watched as Unit-21 crushed Unit-17's entry plug and threw it to the ground. Threw it to the ground like his friend's life had been nothing, like Kensuke's body was just trash. Hate burned in the boy's dark eyes.

Unit-20 tried to take advantage of its opponent's distraction and swung its spear at the white Eva's head. The attack was blocked though as spear met spear in a shower of sparks. Slowly Unit-16 turned to face the attacking Eva. The Eva's three eyes were emotionless as always, but its body stance made the anger of its pilot clear. A single kick to the IDPS Evas chest sent it flying backwards to land in a heap on the ground.

Touji didn't pay any attention to the fallen Eva, instead turning his attention to the approaching Unit-21. The American-designed Eva was closing in fast, evidently intending to destroy another of the piloted Evas.

The two Evas met with a thunderous crash, the impact between their spears sending out a wave of force that cracked the ground around them. Neither Eva seemed to be affected by the shockwave. They pushed against each other with all their might, trying to force the other one into a fatal stumble.

This standoff continued until Unit-20 made its reappearance, coming up from behind Touji's Eva and attempting to run it through with its spear. The teenage pilot however saw the attack coming and was able to dive out of its road. Unfortunately this action freed Unit-21's spear and the massive Eva brought it down on Unit-16's left leg, severing it at the knee.

Now unable to rise, the white Eva was forced to protect itself as the two soulless Evas rained down blows upon it. Touji was successful in guarding his Eva's S2 organ and head with his Longinus Spear but the behemoth's arms and remaining leg were stabbed multiple times. Several gashed in Unit-16's side were also made by the plunging Longinus Spears.

Stifling cries of agony, Touji once again raised his weapon to protect himself. Only to have it knocked away by a well placed swing from Unit-20. Unit-21 raised its spear to finish the job.

Touji knew that this was it, there was no way he could stop the coming blow. The silver and brown Eva's weapon was already falling and he had never been able to move his Eva as fast as Asuka could. He released the piloting handles.

Suddenly, Unit-16's right hand shot up and grabbed the falling spear. It pulled, and the attacking Eva lost its balance, stumbling forward and coming face-to-face with Touji's Eva. The white Eva's blood-filled mouth opened and it growled deeply at the enemy Eva.

For a moment Touji remained frozen in his seat, unable to comprehend what was happening. Then he realised the chance his partner was giving him.A chance to make these Evas pay for what they had done. Without hesitation he reached around behind his piloting seat and grabbed the handle situated there. A slight smirk crossed the boy's face. "Why don't we all go to hell then?" He did what he had done so many times in training. He pulled.

All three Evas vanished in a white fireball that outshone the sun with its brilliance, and obliterated everything in its path.

(Elsewhere, Tokyo-3 Surface)

Unit-14 was facing off against Units C and D. It had so far managed to hold the two enemy Evas at bay but it was clear that without its left forearm and wings the red Eva was completely outmatched. That Unit-D still lacked an arm and a fully functioning weapon was the only reason that she was still alive at all.

Although she was now pretty certain she was doomed, Asuka was prepared to fight to the very end. For all the time she had been training, she had known that this battle would probable be unwinnable. But rather than make her despair, all that realisation had done was make her train harder. After all, anyone could win a battle that was winnable. To win one that was unwinnable, now _that_ would be an achievement. Even though she knew she had already lost, Asuka wasn't going to stop fighting until she was dead. Tightening her Eva's grip on her now one-headed progressive axe, Asuka prepared to charge.

And that was when Touji's Eva exploded.

Although she had seen Units 20 and 21 engage her friends in battle, Asuka had not seen Kensuke fall, wrapped up as she was in her own life-or-death struggle. She could not ignore Unit-16's self-destruction however. Although she did not see the explosions source she did see that the glowing fireball had engulfed the section of Tokyo-3's surface where her friends had once stood. And, when the light finally faded, she saw that her friends had disappeared.

That the IDPS Evas the two had been battling had disappeared as well didn't even register to Asuka, the enemy Evas were secondary to her friends. She didn't see Unit-A rise from the Last Angel's corpse. She didn't see it raise its spear. And she didn't see it throw.

The white Eva's Longinus Spear streaked through the air, zeroing in on its unmoving target. Before Asuka had even noticed its approach, the large spear had buried itself in Unit-14's back. The spear head emerging from the very center of Unit-14's chest.

The colossal Eva stumbled forward a step and looked as if it might fall, but then straightened. Slowly, the red behemoth looked down at the spear head sticking out of its chest. Inside the entry plug, Asuka quite literally twitched with anger, her entire body going rigid and then relaxing, only to repeat the same process over and over again. These Evas had killed Touji, killed Kensuke. And now they had tried to kill her as well. Letting go of all her restraints, Asuka gave into her rage, and let the walls of the entry plug claim her.

Slowly, Unit-14 turned to face its assailant, its eyes eventually falling on Unit-A. The armour on its face had opened slightly and the Eva's true eyes had been revealed. However, they did not glow yellow as was the norm, but instead were a deep and burning red.

Dropping what was left of its battle axe to the floor, Unit-14 reached behind its back with its right arm. Firmly gripping the haft of Unit-A's Longinus Spear, it pulled. With a sickening crunching sound the spear tore free of the red Eva's body.

As soon as the spear was free the Eva's wound began to bleed profusely, pouring blue gore down Unit-14's front and back. Through the hole, a section of the Eva's S2 organ could be seen, a large chip marking the Longinus Spear's course across it. Despite the damage to its S2 organ however, the red Eva clearly had no intention of stopping. It was still going to fight.

Ignoring the rivers of blue blood that ran down its form, Unit-14 held the stolen Longinus Spear out in front of it. Red energy began to flow along the weapon's length, emanating from the Eva's right hand. As the energy flowed, the weapon began to mutate.

The Longinus Spear's head flattened out and elongated, forming into a single razor-sharp blade. Along the entire length of the handle small blades began to emerge, some of them bending forwards, others bending back, many sticking out straight. The size and the length of the small blades varied, some of them no bigger than an Eva's fingers, others almost as big as the weapon's primary blade. As the weapon changed it began to pulse with a deep red light.

Throwing back its head and opening its gaping maw, Unit-14 released a roar that shook the earth and could be heard a hundred miles away. As it did so, six glowing red wings burst from its back, spreading out to either side and giving the rampant Eva a truly demonic appearance.

(Nerv, Control Room)

A deafening alarm went of within Nerv's central control room. Three of the massive view screens had come to life, each showing a different view of Unit-14, each a live feed from the eyes of an IDPS Eva. The alarm had gone off because the Eva at the center of the screens was no longer giving off the readings typical of an Eva. In fact it was no longer even registering as an Eva.

The MAGI couldn't comprehend this turn of events. The red Eva should not have been able to keep operating with the damage it had sustained to its S2 organ and yet not only had it continued to do so, it had also somehow managed to alter a Longinus Spear to suit its will.

The three supercomputers recognised the readings Unit-14 was giving off. They had detected such readings before. From the Eva sub-commander Fuyutsuki had called 'the Demon'. From Unit-01.

If the IDPS Evas had contained self-destruct mechanisms, then the MAGI would have activated them now, but such systems had been removed when the Evas were rebuilt, the commander deeming them 'unnecessary'. Without such a sacrificial tactic available to them, the MAGI ordered the three white Evas to attack.

(Meanwhile, Unknown Location)

Shinji floated within the icy confines of the frozen dimension he had been left in. With the Sea of Dirac gone, he had no way to make it back to the dimension he had come from. He had no way to make it back to Rei and Naoki.

Shinji's hands clenched at his side. No. He wasn't going to allow himself to be cut off from the one's he loved. He had promised Rei that everything would be okay and he wasn't going to break that promise, he would tear this dimension apart if it was necessary.

Focusing the full power of his AT field before him, Shinji probed for any remnant of Nara-2's Sea of Dirac.

At first he found nothing but then he pushed deeper. There, on the very edge of his enhanced perception, was a ripple in the fabric of this world.

Unlike Nara, Shinji had no real knowledge of how a Sea of Dirac worked. He had spent time in one but never made one of his own. He remembered though something that Ritsuko had told him once, she had said that a Sea of Dirac could only be generated by the use of an inverted AT field.

Though not entirely certain of what it meant to invert an AT field, Shinji tried his best to replicate one. To do so he was forced to draw heavily on Adam's knowledge and he could feel the Angel's presence grow within him.

Shoving Adam's presence to the back of his mind, Shinji put all his concentration to manipulating his AT field and opening a rift between the worlds. Slowly, he reversed the polarity of his field and began trying to meld it with the ripple he felt.

At first nothing happened, but then something caught. The inverted AT field and ripple began to meld together. The process was by no means smooth. Shinji pretty much had to force the union and he could tell that the mix was becoming unstable.

Regardless, shadows began to pulse near the corridors end. The shadows slowly started to solidify and spread out, though they still appeared unstable, like they would disappear at the slightest provocation.

Slowly, very slowly, a portal began to open. It was not the smooth circle that usually represented a Sea of Dirac, but instead appeared as a vertical slash. Twisting tendrils of shadow wreathed across its edges, licking at the walls that surrounded it. This was a rift between worlds formed by the application of brute force, as opposed to the subtlety used to open a proper Sea of Dirac.

Shinji stared at the tear he had created. He had opened it by using the lingering traces of Nara-2's Sea of Dirac and as such had no idea where it led. All he knew was that this was his one chance of getting back to his own dimension. Of getting back to his family. He flew through the rift.

Moving through this rift was not as smooth as moving through a Sea of Dirac. Between the two worlds was a short but hellish path through a dimension of pure darkness. Swirling shadows surrounded Shinji and tried to pull him into the surrounding abyss. The black haired boy resisted their pulls however and walked resolutely to the portal at the other end of the path. This time he passed through without hesitation.

As soon as Shinji stepped through the second portal he found himself surrounding by searing flames. It took him less than a heartbeat to realise this was the same dimension in which he had fought the Naras earlier. The same dimension in which the then headless Nara-1 had been left behind.

Nara-2 watched Shinji emerge from the dimensional tear. He watched as the strange portal closed behind the black haired teen. The portal may have been crude in comparison to a normal Sea of Dirac but evidentially it had still served its purpose. Just as the blue eyed boy had expected it would. He had known that Shinji would find a way to follow him, and had made sure to inform Nara-1 of that fact immediately upon his arrival.

Nara-1 had prepared himself adequately for Shinji's appearance. The winged teen had so far shown the ability to dodge all of the red eyed Nara's more powerful attacks, or else successfully defend himself from them. As such, the orange haired teen had decided to use a different attack this time. One that took time to prepare, but was undeniable effective.

In the time it had taken Shinji to break through from the icy dimension he had been abandoned in, Nara-1 had prepared his attack fully. His hands now glowed with a bright light and a similarly vivid light could be seen shining through his chest.

Shinji only had enough to look up and notice both his opponents floating above him before the light from Nara-1's hands flared and a massive beam of light came racing towards him.

The light beam was by no means solid. It was nothing but insubstantial light, transparent and faint. And yet the edges of the beam were sharply defined, the light within the beam somehow significantly brighter than the light outside. There was something hauntingly attractive about the approaching attack, something that made Shinji almost reluctant to move out of the way.

In the end it was that reluctance that cost him. He did try to move, but he had hesitated for a mere fraction of a second, and as a result was engulfed by the light.

The moment the light hit him, Shinji's mind exploded in pain. He felt as if some unknown entity was digging its fingers into his mind, digging through his memories and unearthing his deepest secrets. The miniature Lancea disappeared, its wielder unable to maintain the concentration necessary to maintain it.

Blinded by the pain and the light, Shinji saw thousands of images flash before his eyes. Images of his mother entering Unit-01, of her never coming out again. Images of his father abandoning him. Images of Rei as he had first seen her, lying on a stretcher, her body broken and battered. Images of the desolated body of Unit-03, the crushed entry plug in his Eva's hand. Images of Kaoru, of the boy's death at his hands. These same images repeated themselves over and over again in his mind, forcing him to relive every agonising moment.

But it didn't end there. New images began to surface, images that were not a part of Shinji's memories. Images of his friends being killed at the Naras' hands, blades and beams striking down everyone he cared about. Asuka, Misato, Touji, Kensuke, he saw all of them killed by the two teenage boys. That was not the worst however. The worst were the images of Rei and Naoki being killed. Of Rei being impaled on the end of Nara-1's blade, of having her chest blasted apart by a beam from Nara-2. Of Naoki being crushed under Nara-2's foot, of Nara-1 standing over the little girl's still body. Of Rei being ripped apart by a giant cross-flare, of a flexible, bladed limb plunging through her chest.

Real and imaginary, the images mixed together and pushed Shinji to the edge of sanity. He opened his mouth but no sound came out, he couldn't even find the strength to scream. Then another image came to him, one of Rei impaled on the end of a weapon, but this time the weapon was the miniature Lancea, and it wasn't Nara-1 who had impaled her…it was him. Shinji finally found the strength to scream.

The images continued to flash before Shinji's eyes, unaffected by the boy's scream. Memories and nightmares fused together until Shinji could no longer tell the difference. Death and destruction filled his mind.

Then another image came to him. One that was different from the others. It only appeared for a couple of seconds, but that was long enough for Shinji to take it all in. It was an image of Nara as he had appeared before his transformation, his grayish black hair concealing his eyes from view. Fourteen shadowy figures surrounded him, too indistinct to be made out. A single figure stood behind the boy, its pale hands resting on the teen's shoulders but the rest of its body as indistinct as the surrounding figures.

The surrounding figures permeated a feeling of foreboding and hatred that was almost tangible. Nara and the figure behind him permeated a feeling of hopelessness and sadness. Just before the image faded, Nara raised his head and looked Shinji directly in the eyes. His mouth moved, forming two simple words. "I'm sorry."

That one image was all it took for Shinji to break free of the nightmares that were attempting to consume him. It reminded him that most of the images he was seeing were not real, and that he was still in a battle. Why it reminded him of this, he was not sure. Only that he knew that the image must have come from the mind of one of the Naras, if not from both simultaneously. And that was what made him realise that many of the other images were also being created by the Naras.

His scream cutting off, Shinji's sight returned once more to the present. He saw Nara-2 diving towards him, his hand charging up for what he no doubt intended to be a point-blank range blast. He did not know why he had seen that image, whether or not it had been intentional or an accident. But he did know it had probable saved his life.

Shinji raised his arms to either side of him and prepared to unleash his ultimate attack against the two Naras. The circles on his palms began to glow and tendrils of energy began to wind their way along the length of his arms.

Nara-2 saw the attack coming and knew that even should he stop now he would still be close enough to take the full strength of the blast. Silently cursing himself for once again underestimating the winged boy, the tan haired teen fired an energy beam from his right hand, thinking that he might still have a chance to dispatch his opponent before he could unleash his attack. The beam though, never reached its target.

Flowing across his collar-bone, the energy tendrils from Shinji's hands reached out towards each other. They met, and then all hell broke lose.

A black sphere of pure, unrestrained destruction spread out from Shinji's body, stopping the approaching beam in its tracks and engulfing Nara-2 in a matter of seconds. The globe continued to spread unhindered and engulfed Nara-1 as well, the orange haired boy only just having enough time to raise his arms in a defensive position before he was consumed.

The sphere continued to spread out, engulfing ground, fire and air together. It only stopped its expansion when Shinji cut off the flow of energy that supported it. Drained as he was, the boy was unable to maintain the necessary power to fuel the attack.

Its power source cut off the black orb began to collapse in upon itself, shrinking in size and slowly beginning to fade from view. When it finally vanished completely, the damage it had caused to the two Naras was fully revealed.

A few meters above Shinji was a field of bloody debris. Pieces of flesh and globules of blood floated listlessly in the air, hovering over the flames below. Such was the devastation caused by the attack that the remains were not even identifiable as those of a human, but considering the debris field's location there could be little doubt that this was all that remained of Nara-2. The only remnants of the boy's S2 organ were a few slithers of red.

Unfortunately for Shinji, the assault had been far less affective against Nara-1. The orange winged boy had managed to raise his AT field before the attack hit him, and combined with his distance from the orb's center, the action had been enough to save him from destruction.

Had the attack continued for much longer Nara-1's AT field may very well have collapsed, but as it was it had just managed to stand up to the onslaught. As such his body had survived unscathed and his S2 organ was entirely untouched.

Raising his head, the red eyed Nara smiled maliciously at Shinji. "An Anti-AT field huh. Really, is that all you can do."

While he was irked that the teenage boy had managed to survive his attack, Shinji kept his face perfectly calm. "You may have survived. But without your other half to back you up, you won't last long. Face it, its over."

Nara-1's smile widened. "Oh I don't think so Adam. You see, you haven't weakened me nearly as much as you think." He raised both arms up before him and pointed them at Nara-2's remains. The flesh and blood immediately began to move, whizzing through the air towards the boy's arms.

Bit by bit, the pieces of flesh began to collide with Nara-1's arms and chests, quickly joined by the globules of blood. As the remains began to fuse into him, the orange haired teen's body began to glow with an iridescent light.

Shinji knew that whatever his opponent was doing, it was undeniably a threat. He regenerated the miniature Lancea and took off towards Nara-1.

Even as Shinji closed in, the last of Nara-2's remains fused into Nara-1's body and the glow began to dim. As the light fully faded, it revealed that the boy's left eye had turned blue and that his hair had changed from orange to grey. Nara had been restored.

Generating two blades, the grey haired boy caught the head of Shinji's Lancea between them, stopping its plunge towards his chest. He smiled viciously at his black haired opponent. "Now do you see Adam? All you have done is restore me to my full power. You can never defeat me."

No longer able to maintain the calmness of his expression, Shinji allowed a scowl to spread across his face. "You are nothing but parasites, controlling Nara's body through force. But I am the perfect amalgamation of two beings. Your power will fail you, and it is I who will be victorious."

The two combatants continued to hold each other in a stalemate. Although no-one would know it by looking at them, both were running low on energy and neither would be able to keep up the fight for much longer. That didn't mean they wouldn't fight however. Both of them knew that nothing short of death would end this battle.

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

Unit-C closed in on Unit-14, the damaged Unit-D following close behind. Both were charging along the ground, their powerful legs propelling them at phenomenal speeds towards the six-winged Eva that opposed them.

Unit-14 stood its ground stoically, staring silently at the two soulless Evas. No emotion showed in the Eva's glowing red eyes, but the tightening grip on its altered weapon was testament to the anger that burned within it.

Leaping high into the air, Unit-C drove its spear downwards towards the unmoving Eva, intending to finish off the four-eyed behemoth once and for all. Its opponent however was ready for the attack.

In a blink of an eye Unit-14 raised its mutated Longinus Spear and swung it around in a wide arc. Cleaving through armour and flesh alike, the bladed weapon cut the falling IDPS Eva in two. An explosive torrent of red blood flung the two pieces away from each other and sent them falling to the ground.

The two halves landed on the ground in front of Unit-D, stopping the white Eva in its tracks. The mauled Eva still lacked a left arm and the fingers on its right hand were only partially reformed, weakening the grip it had on the red pole that was all that remained of its Longinus Spear. The MAGI could easily calculate Unit-D's chances of beating the obviously increasingly powerful Unit-14 as being extremely low. As such they ordered the crippled Eva to retreat.

Receiving the order, Unit-D turned and began to run, putting as much distance as it could between itself and the demonic Eva behind it. Unit-14 though, had no attention of allowing the IDPS Eva to escape.

Bringing its arm back, the rampant Eva lined up its vicious weapon on the retreating Evas back. Red energy once again flowed along the length of the spear, twisting into a double-helix pattern that stretched all the way from the weapon's butt to the base of the blade at its head, meandering its way between the blades covering the spear's haft. As soon as the pattern was fully formed, Unit-14 let fly.

There was so much power behind the spear throw that it appeared as little more than a streak of light as it hurtled towards Unit-D's back. Such was the weapon's speed that the white Eva had no time to dodge it, or even to notice its approach. Less than a second after it had left Unit-14's hand, it had torn its way straight through the soulless Eva's abdomen, leaving a gaping hole where the behemoth's S2 organ had been.

Continuing on, the stray Longinus Spear ploughed into the ground, burying itself in the rocky earth. Its disappearance was as unnoticed as Unit-D's collapse to the ground, the last two remaining Eva's focused entirely on each other.

Unit-A had been charging across the battlefield towards Unit-14 when it witnessed the fall of its two allies. That both Evas had been taken down by the red Eva in a matter of seconds was completely unexpected. The MAGI had predicted that it would take far longer for Units C and D to be defeated, more than enough time for the last of the ex-Seele Evas to back them up. It would seem however that their predictions were off.

Now, Unit-A, the last of the IDPS Evas, found itself facing off against something that was no longer even an Eva. There had been nine IDPS Evas, and only three piloted Evas to oppose them. Yet it came down to this, a one-on-one battle between the last two survivors.

It wasn't all bad for Gendo's plan though. The MAGI had finally gotten some definitive readings on Unit-14 and had confirmed that the damage to the Eva's S2 organ had indeed destabilised its AT field. In fact as it currently stood, the winged Eva's protective field would be ineffective against almost all forms of attack. Add to that the fact that Unit-14 had only one arm and was currently disarmed, and it would seem that Unit-A might just stand a fighting chance. Such an assumption though, would be wrong.

Without even pausing to look at the two Evas it had just killed, the demonic Unit-14 turned to face its one remaining opponent. Two souls stared out of its glowing eyes, those of a young redhead and her mother. It was Asuka's soul that dominated the Eva's body. It was her anger that fueled its power.

With an earsplitting roar, Unit-14 charged towards Unit-A, its six red wings spreading even wider and the red light of its eyes growing in intensity.

Without a soul, Unit-A was incapable of feeling fear, and it had received no orders to retreat from the MAGI. As such, it lowered its Longinus Spear and charged forward, fully intending to meet its opponent half-way, and end this battle once and for all.

The distance between the two behemoths diminished rapidly as they charged towards each other, their blood-filled mouths hanging open. Neither so much as flinched as they closed in, both of them preparing to attack.

As soon as Unit-14 was within range, Unit-A struck out with its spear, aiming for the red Eva's partially exposed S2 organ. The attack proved ineffective however as the targeted Eva rolled to the side, avoiding the IDPS Eva's thrust and rising within striking distance.

As soon as it had regained its feet the blood-soaked Eva struck out with its right hand, spreading its fingers wide and pointing them forward. The hand shot through the air towards the enemy Eva's midsection.

Unable to bring its weapon back around in time to stop the attack, Unit-A instead opted to concentrate its AT field between itself and Unit-14's right hand. The field was of no help however and the hand tore right through it before burying itself in the white Eva's body.

Unit-14's fingers tore through the ex-Seele Eva's body, ripping their way through anything that stood in their road. Eventually the now gore-covered hand emerged from Unit-A's back, red splinters stuck in its palm testament to its path through the enemy Eva's S2 organ.

(Airspace over Tokyo-3)

The two large jets that had deployed Units 20 and 21 to the surface still circled above the battlefield. At this exact moment they were directly above Unit-14 and the dead body of Unit-A.

Having ejected their pilots, the MAGI were now in direct control of the aircrafts' systems. They had so far largely ignored the jets, focusing instead on coordinating the IDPS Evas on the surface, but with their ground attack failed the two aerial vehicles were the only offensive option they had left.

Sirens went off in the cockpits of both jets as the MAGI sent a new string of commands to their computer systems. A computer voice began to boom from the aircrafts' internal intercoms. "Warning, bomb bay doors opening. N2 mines moving into drop position. Mines armed and ready for detonation. Warning…"

The bomb bay doors of both craft slowly began to slide open, revealing the sizeable payloads hidden behind. Not entirely certain that his plan would work out perfectly, Gendo had decided to cover his bases, and had had the two jets assigned to carry Units 20 and 21 equipped with one N2 mine each.

At maximum strength, an Eva's AT field might be able to stand up to such a massive amount of destruction power. But Unit-14's AT field was far from being at maximum strength. In its current state it was barely operational.

As the bomb bay doors fully opened, the two N2 mines slid into place, held within the jets' bodies by simple clamps. A single command from the MAGI ordered those clamps to release.

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

Somehow Unit-14 could sense the mines falling towards it. Its only remaining arm was still stuck within Unit-A's limp body and it had so little energy left that it could barely move a muscle, but it did raise its head and look up.

The red Eva's eyes narrowed and its mouth opened. Then the N2 mines hit. The winged behemoth vanished within a maelstrom of destruction.

(Meanwhile, Unknown Location)

The battle between Shinji and Nara was in full swing. The two teens clashed again and again, blades striking Lancea in a rapid dance of death. The winged boys would clash and then drift apart, before clashing once again. Beams were fired in between clashes, beams that were either dodged, deflected by AT fields or countered by other beams.

As a particularly large distance opened between the two, Shinji slash downwards with his black Lancea, sending out his AT field in a bladed arc. Nara flew above the attack and made eye contact with Shinji. His eyes flashed.

Shinji was only just able to propel himself backwards fast enough to avoid the cross-flare that erupted below him. He was then forced to do so again and again as more and more cross-flares erupted from the ground.

As Shinji dodged yet another cross-flare he sensed that it was slightly weaker than the previous cross-flare, which he now realised had been slightly weaker than the one before it. When the next cross-flare erupted, the black haired boy let it hit him.

The black energy coursed over Shinji, engulfing his body whole. Yet it didn't injure him, damaging his AT field only slightly. It seemed that Nara was running out of power. Apparently doubling himself had taken a considerable amount of energy.

As the light of the cross-flare cleared, Shinji was confronted by Nara diving down towards him, both of his blades held out before him. The winged boy reacted quickly, swinging his Lancea and severing both of his opponent's hands at the wrist.

Nara recoiled quickly, hissing in pain as he saw his hands fall towards the ground. He glared at Shinji. "Damn you Adam. Why can't I defeat you?"

Shinji looked straight back at Nara, his Lancea still raised in a defensive position. "You are nothing like the Nara I knew. He was strong. You are weak. You are nothing!"

A low growl rose from Nara's throat. "You are a fool Adam. I am stronger than I have ever been. I will show you my power!" He concentrated and the skin on his wrists began to bulge, twisting and expanding until it had formed back into his two hands. As soon as the hands were regenerated he made a sweeping gesture with his right arm and a Sea of Dirac opened below the two boys. "Come Adam. Let us return to where this started." The grey haired teen dropped through the portal.

Shinji didn't hesitate in following. Wherever Nara was going he knew he had to follow. Allowing the pale skinned boy to run free would most likely prove a grave mistake.

Shinji was somewhat surprised when he emerged within the LCL Chamber of Terminal Dogma. So this was what Nara had meant about returning to where this started. They had returned to where Third Impact had been adverted, to where Nara had been born.

Before Shinji could dwell further on the choice of location, he was attacked once again by Nara. He only just managed to deflect both of the teen's black blades and immediately found himself attacked again. The battle continued from where it had left off.

(Terminal Dogma, Central Chamber)

Rei was aware of Shinji's presence the moment he emerged from the Sea of Dirac, the blue haired girl's bond to the boy allowing her to hone in on his exact location. That he had emerged in the LCL Chamber was not really a problem, as the winged teen could reach the chamber in seconds. The only real problem was that Naoki was still in the clutches of Xera.

Rei wanted desperately to go to Shinji. To make sure that he was okay, that he was safe. But to do so might endanger the life of her child, and that was something that Rei could not do. She could not abandon her baby.

Rei's problem was soon solved however. Xera's bond with Nara had alerted her to the boy's presence in the LCL Chamber and without even a glance at her companion she took off towards Heaven's Gate, Naoki still gripped in her arms.

With nothing to keep her where she was, and everything to make her follow Xera, Rei took off in pursuit.

Xera flew straight towards the massive gate that bared her path, her silver wings spread wide. Less than a second before colliding with the gate she concentrated her AT field in front of her, using it as a battering ram to knock a large chunk out of the ironclad gateway. She quickly flew through the resulting hole, Rei following close behind.

Upon emerging into the chamber both girls were immediately confronted by the large scale fight between Nara and Shinji. Seemingly unaware of the presence of all three females, the two boys continued to trade blows at lightning speed.

By now it was clearly apparent that Shinji had the upper hand. None of Nara's blows were falling upon Shinji's flesh, while his own injuries were beginning to add up, small gashes appearing all over his body faster than he could regenerate. Several larger wounds also marked the grey haired boy's form.

After Nara received a particularly vicious wound across his right shoulder, he propelled himself backwards, finally putting some distance between himself and Shinji. He didn't have to breathe so his breathing was not heavy, but it was clear that he was tired. The wounds that covered his body began to heal but the process was noticeably slower than it had previously been. He spat a wad of blood from his mouth. "Well Adam, it seems that I am outmatched." He allowed his blades to disperse and hung his shoulders in defeat. "Go ahead, finish it."

Shinji calmly raised his right hand and spread his fingers wide, pointing the red circle on his palm at Nara's chest. The glassy circle began to glow, drawing power from its owner's S2 organ.

Soon Shinji had gathered sufficient energy to finish Nara off, but he did not fire. He was not quite ready to kill the boy who had once been his friend. "I want to speak to Nara. The real Nara."

Nara laughed dryly, blood from his still damaged insides flowing out of his mouth. "Fuck you! Either kill me now or let me go, you have no other choice. The Nara you knew is dead!"

Shinji shook his head slightly. "No, I know he's still in there somewhere." Reaching out with his mind, the red eyed boy reached into Nara's consciousness, making no attempt to be gentle. "I will find him. You cannot stop me."

Feeling the force of the other boy's mind worming its way into his skull, Nara threw back his head and roared in agony. The roar was a hideous blending of several different and equally terrifying roars that shook the very foundations of Terminal Dogma. Bringing his head back down and stifling the roar, the winged teen stared defiantly at Shinji. He did not have the strength to speak but the stare accurately portrayed his hatred.

Despite Nara's attempts at resistance the contest of wills between the two combatants resulted in a predictable outcome. The barriers around the Heterochromia suffering boy's mind finally collapsed and Shinji's power reached out to the suppressed presence within. One last powerful roar escaped the injured boy's mouth before his head slumped forward, hiding his face from view. He remained like that for some time.

Slowly Nara raised his face and looked at Shinji. The change in his face was immediately noticeable. His eyes no longer burned with hatred. Instead they were filled with sadness. He looked like he might actually be on the verge of crying. When he spoke, his voice was filled with a sense of hopelessness. "Shinji…I'm sorry."

Shinji continued to point his palm at Nara's chest but the firmness of his expression disappeared, he adopted the same sad look as his one time friend. He may have managed to awaken the boy's true nature but he still had to forcefully suppress the Angels, and he knew he could not hold them back forever. If he wanted to talk, he'd have to make it fast. "What happened to you Nara?"

Nara continued to look straight at Shinji, ignoring the blood that still dripped from his mouth. "There were too many of them Shinji. I tried. I tried so hard. But you can't possibly know what it's like to have fourteen voices in the back of your head, telling you to kill, telling you to destroy. Ever since I transformed I have heard them. I cannot escape them, they are with me always. I tried to ignore them, to suppress them, but I…I…" He hung his head in defeat. "I failed Shinji. I'm so sorry."

Shinji signed sadly. "No Nara, I should be the one to apologise. I should have realised how hard this would be for you. I should have helped. I am truly sorry."

Nara looked up, once again meeting his companion's eyes. "If you truly wish to apologise Shinji, then do one thing for me." As he spoke the blood flow to his mouth finally dried up.

"Name it." Shinji didn't hesitate in his response.

A slight smile crossed Nara's face, temporarily vanishing the sadness of his expression. "Kill me."

Shinji could hardly believe what Nara had just said. Surely the pale skinned boy had not just asked for death. "Nara, you…you can't be serious."

Nara continued to smile slightly. "I'm completely serious Shinji. You know you won't be able to keep the Angels suppressed forever, sooner or later they will regain control of my body. That is why you must kill me." He paused temporarily. "Oh, and don't worry about Gendo, I already killed him. He won't be a problem any longer."

Shinji's outstretched arm began to shake slightly. "I…I can't." He ignored Nara's comment about his father's death, that wasn't important. If Gendo was dead than that was good but Nara was what mattered now.

If anything the smile on Nara's face only widened. "You must. You're going to have to kill me sooner or later, its best that you do it now."

"But…but…" Shinji struggled to find a reason to refuse Nara's request, but he could find nothing. Nara spoke the undeniable truth.

Nara continued to smile, the expression warm despite the struggle that continued to rage within his mind. "If it makes you feel any better Shinji, I would rather die at your hands than anyone else's."

That didn't make the winged teen feel any better, but at least it let him know that Nara really was serious about this. Reluctantly he began to focus more power into the circle on his right palm. "I'm sorry Nara. I wish this had turned out differently."

The grey haired teen nodded in response. "So do I."

A single tear trickled down Shinji's left cheek. "Goodbye, my friend." He fired.

The energy blast flew true, passing straight through Nara's unprotected chest. It incinerated the base of the boy's rib cage, taking his S2 along with it. With its power source gone, the teen's body ceased functioning and began to fall towards the ground, a smile still plastered on the dead face. The silence was eerie. It almost seemed to deny the death that had just occurred.

A tear trickled down Rei's cheek as well but she quickly turned her attention away from the falling body, her eyes moving to the silver haired girl beside her and the child held in her arms. She was worried that with Nara gone, Xera would have no reason not to kill Naoki. The blue haired teen was surprised by the expression she saw on her companion's face.

Xera's eyes were downcast, two locks of her hair half obscuring the dark red orbs from view. A stream of silent tears ran down each of the girl's cheeks, dripping down onto the baby still held in her arms. Naoki squirmed slightly as the salty tears landed on her head.

Xera's head suddenly shot up, revealing her eyes to be narrowed into angry slits. With a single violent thrust of her arm she threw Naoki to the side, sending the little girl careening straight into her mother's arms.

Rei caught Naoki and immediately cradled the child to her chest, silencing the baby's indignant squawk at Xera's violent treatment. The squawk was replaced with a happy squeal as the little girl realised who know held her.

With Rei sufficiently distracted by her daughter, Xera spread her wings wide and took off towards the chamber's center. The silver winged girl wasn't heading for Shinji though, instead flying straight to Nara's falling body.

Swooping underneath the dead body, Xera caught it less than a meter above the small lake of LCL that covered the chamber's floor, the shock of her expanded AT field causing a large ripple in the orange liquid below her. The pale skinned teen ignored the blood that flowed across her from the gaping wound in Nara's chest.

Shinji lowered himself down until he was at eye level with Xera, watching as the girl raised her head to glare angrily at him. "I'm sorry Xera, I know he was important to you."

Xera's head moved to the side slightly as she saw Rei fly up beside her, Naoki held gently in the other girl's arms. "I don't fully understand what he meant to me, even now. I do know however that I would have liked to stay with him for a little longer. If only to understand…what he meant to me." Her red eyes came to focus on Shinji. "I know that Nara wanted this Shinji but I cannot forgive you for killing him. I hate you for that."

Shinji signed quietly. "I know that Xera, and I understand. I warn you though, do not think to attack us. You cannot win."

Xera glanced sideways at Rei and then looked back to Shinji. "You are right I cannot." She looked down at the dead body still held in her arms. "But neither could he." Her hair began to rise slightly as she concentrated her AT field, the power quickly beginning to build.

Rei reached an imploring arm out towards Xera. "Please Xera, don't do this, there's been enough death already. I know you're not a bad person. If you were you would have hurt Naoki instead of returning her."

At first the silver haired teen seemed unaffected by Rei's pleas but then she signed deeply, her hair falling back down. "I have nothing left." She raised her head. "Shinji I…"

Xera never got a chance to finish her sentence. A loud gunshot rang out and a single bullet ripped its way straight through the girl's chest, blasting out the center of her S2 organ. The bullet continued through, missing Shinji by less than an inch.

The red eyed girl was dead before she even realised she had been shot, her eyes widening due only to a shock impulse fired by her brain. Without her AT field to support them, both her and Nara's bodies fell into the LCL below them, the orange liquid quickly becoming stained with blood.

Rei could do little but stare at the two corpses now lying at the bottom of the shallow lake, her view of them rapidly becoming obscured by the red stain spreading from the wounds in their chests. She quickly moved her left hand to cover Naoki's eyes, sparing the little girl from the sight of so much blood.

For his part, Shinji immediately looked for the source of the bullet. He knew it was vital he find the gunman before another shot could be fired. Though her attention had been elsewhere, Xera had nevertheless had her AT field expanded, which meant that whatever had been used to kill her could penetrate AT fields.

Shinji didn't have to look far, his eyes coming to focus on a figure standing on one of the arms of the cross that still dominated the LCL Chamber. The figure was standing on the arm where it joined the main body of the cross.

Upon further scrutiny, Shinji identified the figure to be a human male of roughly average proportions, his body covered almost entirely in black clothing. In the man's hands was a large rifle, covered with flashing lights and large pipes. A rifle which was currently aimed at the winged boy's chest.

Before the man had a chance to fire, Shinji yelled out to him. "Who are you!?"

The man hesitated slightly in pulling the trigger, he did not see what harm could come from answering the boy's question, especially considering he wasn't going to live much longer. "My name is Shadow. I am Gendo Ikari's personal assassin."

Rei had by now noticed the man as well and raised her voice to join Shinji's. "What are you doing!? She was on your side!"

Shadow smirked slightly. "Perhaps, but she failed in her assigned duty. The commander instructed me to eliminate you all should his two puppets fail."

Shinji mimicked Shadow's expression, knowing that he knew far more then the assassin. "Puppets? Odd, puppets don't usually kill their masters."

The assassin's eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you talking about?"

Shinji's smile widened, silently noting that his fusion with Adam had changed his personality more than he had previously thought. "Nara killed Gendo, your boss is dead."

Shadow paused for a moment. If the commander was really dead then he could pretty much kiss his pay check goodbye. He inwardly shrugged, deciding he didn't really care. Money wasn't the only reason he killed. "Even if that is true, it doesn't matter. I'm still going to enjoy watching you die." He lined up the rifle and fired.

This action wasn't a surprise to Shinji. He had expected such an attack from Shadow. If the assassin thought he was just going to allow himself to get hit though, then he was a fool. The nimble teen quickly turned sideways, dodging the high speed projectile.

Before Shadow had a chance to react Shinji raised his right arm and fired an energy beam, the attack zeroing in on the dark clothed man. The beam moved far too fast for the assassin to have even a chance of dodging. All he had time to do was consider that maybe it would have been a better idea to just run.

The blast of energy incinerated Shadow's head and flung the headless body off the cross, sending it careening towards the ground below.

Rei watched Shinji as he lowered his arm. "It's time then?" She ignored the sound of Shadow's body splashing into the LCL below.

Shinji turned to her and nodded. "Yes, it's time." They didn't have the opportunity to dwell on those who had died. The future of humanity was in their hands now.

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

As the light from the detonated N2 mines finally cleared they revealed the utter devastation left in their wake. The blast site was littered with Eva body parts, ripped apart organs and pieces of flesh mixing with puddles of blood. Rivers of red blood and blue blood flowed together towards the center of the shallow crater, winding their way past red and white armour plates alike.

A stiff breeze blew across the debris field, picking up some of the smaller pieces of flesh and sending then careening across the rocky landscape. One particular piece of flesh came to an abrupt halt as it collided with a long cylindrical object.

The cylinder was burnt and blackened, its rounded ends partially melted. There was a single loud hiss, which heralded several spurts of an orange liquid erupting from the capsule head.

The liquid flows eventually dried up and with a single click one section of the cylindrical capsule detached itself slightly from the main body and slid back with the aid of a set of hydraulic limbs. The hydraulic system was badly damaged so the lid moved away very slowly.

As the lid finally slid completely out of the road, two red clothed hands lifted up to grip the sides of the capsule. A figure slowly rose from the blackened cylinder, standing up and lifting its head to look at the sky.

Asuka's eyes narrowed as she stared at the drifting clouds above, ignoring the two circling planes. Silent tears streamed down her face. "Mother, don't leave me."

The redhead tried to reach out to her mother, tried to connect to her as she had within the Eva. She knew it was pointless however, Unit-14 was gone and her mother along with it.

Asuka had seem the falling N2 mines through the red Eva's eyes but before she could do anything she had found herself forcibly ejected from the Eva's body and returned to the entry plug. Seizing complete control of the Eva, the spirit of her mother had concentrated all the remaining power of Unit-14's AT field around the plug.

And so Asuka had survived. Her body and plug suit had been burnt by the superheated LCL that had surrounded her, but she was still very much alive. She had survived, while Unit-14 had been utterly destroyed. She had survived, while her mother had died.

Asuka's head slowly fell, her hair falling forward to hide the features of her face, her tears beginning to mingle with the LCL at her feet. "Why have I been left behind? I would have preferred to die." The redhead's shoulders began to heave as the sound of sobbing was heard. "I wanted to go with you!" She collapsed to her hands and knees, her entire body vibrating with the force of her sobs.

For the first time in ages Asuka had felt the warmth of her mother's love, only to have it stripped from her. Without that love she suddenly found herself feeling empty, a feeling that was not helped by the devastation that surrounded her. Yes, she was alive, but she truly wished she wasn't.

* * *

End Notes: Well, okay, that's it for Chapter 9/10. Not long to go now, two more chapters at the most and this fic will be finished. Please review if you anything to say, I would appreciate any constructive criticism you can give. It might take me awhile to do Chapter 11 but I will endeavor to get it done as soon as I get the chance. 


	11. The Lilim Paradox

Disclaimer: Don't own NGE, nough said.

Author's Notes: First off I'm sorry about how long this chapter took, I have no excuse except that I had a lot of trouble making it sound the way I wanted it too. This chapter is shorter than previous ones by a good few thousand words and originally I was going to attach the epilogue straight onto the end but since I've already taken so long I though I might as well release this chapter now and release the epilogue separately later. Anyway, here's Chapter 11 of 'The Angels Return', the second last chapter of this fic.

* * *

**11. The Lilim Paradox**

(Terminal Dogma, LCL Chamber)

Naoki Ikari sat just inside of Heaven's Gate, staring up at the blue haired teen who had placed her on the cold floor. The little girl did not understand why she had been deprived of the warmth of her mother's arms.

Rei smiled at her daughter, reaching down to softly caress the baby's cheek. "Stay here Naoki-chan. I promise I'll come back for you. Be patient, and calm." The red eyed girl transferred as much calmness as she could through the link that bonded her to her child.

Naoki smiled happily at her mother's caress, leaning her head into the soft palm. She pouted slightly when the hand was removed but remained relatively calm, watching silently as Rei turned and walked away.

Rei moved to the LCL lake that dominated the chamber's floor, placing one foot and then the other onto the orange liquid's surface. The girl's AT field stoped her feet from sinking below the lake's surface, causing only the slightest of ripples as she strode across the LCL.

The winged teen eventually came to a stop standing in the exact center of the LCL Chamber, where Shinji was already waiting for her. Rei turned so that her back was facing her companion, spreading her blue wings wide.

Shinji spread his own wings, wrapping his arms around Rei's waist at the same time and drawing her closer to him.

For a moment nothing happened, the two teens standing silent and motionless, then ripples began to spread across the LCL's surface. The ripples did not radiate from the teens however, instead they began at the lake's edges and radiated inwards towards the chamber's center.

The ripples slowly began to increase in size and frequency, forming into small waves. As the waves grew in height sprays of LCL began to rise around the two red eyed teens.

Shinji and Rei looked directly forward, their eyes focused on some distant point. Their irises appeared to expand slightly and then their entire eyes glowed an iridescent white.

LCL rose up from the lake, spiralling around the two motionless figures and quickly obscuring them from site. The blood-like liquid formed into a hollow column, Rei and Shinji entombed at its center. Sucking up more LCL, the orange pillar rapidly grew in size, expanding in both width and height.

The LCL Column soon reached the ceiling, but it did not stop there. Rock and metal alike seemed to simply melt away as the LCL shot up, forcing its way towards the surface above.

Within the column, the bodies of Rei and Shinji began to shine brightly, lightening the orange liquid around them. As the intensity of the light increased the two forms seemingly began to meld together, before vanishing completely in a vivid flash.

The flash of light spread out to the surrounding liquid, temporarily turning it white and bathing the chamber outside in the radiant glow.

When the light finally faded, it revealed a single figure hovering in the LCL Column's center. The figure was entirely white, its skin, hair and eyes all the same uniform colour. It had no distinctive features to identify it as either male or female and its general physique appeared to be somewhat of a cross between the two genders. It was tall and sleek but with a nevertheless noticeably developed muscular system.

The figure's white hair was short and lay flat along the sides of its head in a style largely reminiscent of Rei's. The figure sported six wings formed entirely out of a white coursing energy, which stretched to the walls of the orange column surrounding it. Throbbing white cords extended from the figures arms, legs and back, disappearing into the swirling LCL.

White eyes staring vacantly forward, the figure opened its mouth, revealing its tongue, gums and throat to be as white as the rest of its body. When it spoke, its voice was a mixture of Rei and Shinji's tones, harmoniously fused into one. "We are one, and the time of destiny has come. The end of the Lilim."

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

Still on her hands and knees, Asuka became aware of a powerful vibration running through the ground below her. She raised her tear stained face just in time to see a section of ground roughly a hundred meters away from her seemingly melt away. No sooner had the dirt and rock disappeared then a large flow of LCL burst from the resulting hole, rising towards the sky in a thick column.

As Asuka looked on in awe, the massive column finally tapered to a point a few hundred meters above the surface, the orange liquid from which it was made continually moving in a spirally pattern.

The redhead of course was not the only observer of this event. The two jets responsible for the N2 mines which had destroyed Unit-02 and almost ended Asuka's life turned sharply and began to circle around the ominous pillar at a altitude roughly two-thirds of the LCL's above-ground height. The MAGI immediately trained the planes' sensors on the strange phenomenon, attempting to ascertain its purpose.

Before any definite readings could be gathered however, the sides of the column directly across from the two planes suddenly ruptured, sending out streams of LCL that consumed the jets whole. The MAGI immediately lost all visual and audio feeds, essentially cutting them off from the outside world.

The aircrafts had been on opposite sides of the pillar when the ruptures occurred, so as the LCL streams solidified they formed into symmetrical arms. This gave the LCL Column the appearance of a gigantic cross, dominating the devastated surface of Tokyo-3.

(Within LCL Column)

Shinji/Rei hung in the very center of the LCL Column, its eyes still trained on some distance, unseen point. Though its eyes were certainly open it was not using them to see, instead it saw everything that surrounded the LCL Column, the many images downloaded directly into the white being's mind. That was how it had seen the two planes. How it had destroyed them with such accuracy.

The jets were gone now though and the three computers which had controlled them were powerless. Shinji/Rei had far more important things to attend too. The Third Impact had to continue.

The process had already begun. Thin strings of light, invisible to anyone who didn't already know they were there, were spreading out from the orange cross. The invisible cords rushed across the landscape, streaking towards the nearest populated areas.

As the seconds passed more and more strings extended out from the massive cross, shooting of in all directions. One particular group of threads converged on Tokyo-2, breaking off from the main mass to pursue their own course.

The ultra-thin stings swooped in over the houses of the large city, passing through the walls without difficulty. Each thread zeroed in on an individual person, attaching themselves to the base of their target's skull, where the spinal column began. The people were not even aware that the attachment had taken place, continuing on as if nothing had happened.

This process was repeated again and again throughout Tokyo-2, until every last person was attached to a string. To anyone who could have seen the strings the city would have appeared spider-webbed with streams of light, many of the larger skyscrapers resembling massive pin cushions.

Tokyo-2 was only the first city to suffer this fate, as time went on more and more cities were blanketed in an ever expanding circle of invisible cords. It wasn't only the cities however. Any inhabited location, no matter how few people inhabited it, was targeted by the threads. Even people who were in the middle of nowhere, were quickly tracked down.

Soon all of Japan was covered, but the cords did not stop their. They raced out across the sea, heading for all of the worlds islands and continents, near or far.

(Meanwhile, Nerv, Central Dogma)

A handful of strings had not spread out like the others. Instead they had gone straight down, heading for the survivors of Nerv.

One particular string entered the Eva Catapult Control Station. It passed over the two dead bodies just within the doorway, heading for the only living occupant of the room. That the purple-haired woman was kneeling in a pool of her own blood and was supported only by the console she leant against was unimportant, she was alive and therefore she had to be connected. Everyone had to be connected.

Misato didn't feel a thing as the cord attached itself to her neck. She was however, soon aware of the effect. Her loss of blood had been causing the major to slip in and out of consciousness but the newly established connection brought a surprising clarity to her mind.

Still kneeling in front of the room's control console, Misato experienced a strange sensation of being reenergised by some outside source. Her wounds no longer stung her with pain. In fact she could barely feel them at all. She was no longer experiencing the disorienting side effects from her substantial loss of blood, and though she was not physically able to rise she felt like she should be able to.

For a brief moment an image formed in Misato's mind. An image of a completely white human being, sporting six glowing wings and connected by throbbing white cords to some sort of orange liquid swirling around it. The image faded quickly but not so quickly that the lavender haired major didn't have time to study it. She was easily able to identify the swirling liquid as LCL but the being at its center was more difficult to discern.

At first she thought it might be Rei, though it lacked some of the young girl's more feminine features it wouldn't be the first time the red eyed teen had changed her appearance. However, although it certainly beared a resemblance to Rei it also had a resemblance to Shinji, perhaps he had transformed again.

Misato considered one last possibility, that perhaps the two teens had fused together into one body. As strange as such an event seemed to her, she considered that it was probably within Shinji and Rei's power to perform such a feat. Despite now knowing what their true identities, the major was totally aware that she had no idea how powerful those two really were. For all she knew they might be able to do anything.

Wether or not the being that had appeared in her mind was truly them fused, Misato had no doubt that Shinji and Rei were somehow involved in what was going on. What they intended, she had no idea, and still unable to move she knelt and awaited her fate, whatever it might be.

(Within LCL Column)

Shinji/Rei felt its mind expand as more and more people were connected by the threads, giving it access to all of those people's minds. Its own mind was a perfect compilation of the minds of its two component parts and with so many minds being linked to its own its scope of vision was ever increasing. It absorbed the knowledge from the minds of those connected, effectively forcing them to share all they knew with it without even alerting them to what it was doing.

The threads had spread across most of the globe by now. Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, all of them were blanketed with glowing strings. One by one, the last vestiges of humanity were being hunted down and connected to the whole. Some threads rushed across the oceans, searching for the small inhabited islands that existed in the vast blue expanses, others searched remote mountain ranges, distant beaches and secluded meadows, searching for those who preferred to live alone.

With the help of the knowledge gained from those already connected, everyone on the planet was eventually tracked down and attached to the strings, even the most solitary hermit becoming part of a greater whole.

Before proceeding to the next step though Shinji/Rei sent a small group of threads rocketing through the earth's atmosphere and up into space, heading straight for those few manned satellites orbiting the planet. The satellites' locations pulled from the minds of those monitoring them from the surface.

That was it, every human being in existence was now connected to the towering LCL Column. They did not know it but they were all linked to a single being of indescribable power. It was something they would soon find out.

At the heart of the LCL Column Shinji/Rei smiled widely. It was done, now the next stage could begin. The being's white eyes snapped shut and it concentrated, projecting its mind across the threads. It established its presence in the minds of every living human being. And then it spoke, not with its mouth but with its mind.

'_Hear us Lilim.'_

(Tokyo-2, Shopping District)

Hikari Horaki stopped in her tracks, her hand hovering in mid-air inches from a skirt she had been about to grab from a clothes rack. She had been out shopping, trying to keep her mind off her friends in Tokyo-3. It was painful to think about them, wondering if they were still alive.

Reports had come through a few days ago that the nearby city had been completely destroyed, having been reduced to nothing more than a crater in the ground. According to the press release that came soon after however, Nerv had survived relatively intact, with only a handful of casualties reported. Hikari hoped desperately that her friends were not among them. She had lost too many friends already.

But now Hikari was hearing the impossible. That voice, it sounded so familiar to her, and yet she also knew she had never heard it before. It took her barely a second to figure out why the voice was familiar to her, it sounded like someone had taken the voices of two of her dead friends and fused them together. The voices of Shinji and Rei.

'_We are the harbingers of the end of your civilization. Of the world you know. All of it will end today. All of it will end know.'_

Other people in the shop were looking around in confusion, searching for the source of the voice they had all heard. Hikari stayed still however, she knew that voice had sounded in her mind and although her knowledge of the Angels and Evas was limited, she knew enough to believe that such a thing was possible. The brunette didn't focus on what the voice had said. That wasn't important. All she cared about was what the voice sounded like, what it reminded her off. A pair of silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She had wanted so much to hear her dead friend's voices again but know that she could she just wished it would stop. It brought up too many memories.

'_The Third Impact was always destined to end your lives as you know them, and today that destiny will be fulfilled. The Third Impact will succeed.'_

(Nerv, Commander's Office)

Kozo Fuyutsuki sat in Gendo's customary chair, a small glass of whiskey held in his right hand. A slight smile crossed his face as he took another sip from the glass. It had begun, as he knew it would. He looked up at the office's ceiling. "I told you your plan was unnecessary Gendo. All you were able to achieve was more death."

Fuyutsuki hadn't been surprised when a Nerv agent radioed in to report the commander's death, he had expecting such news since Gendo began his foolish plan. He had known the plan would fail from the start. The power of the Angel's could not be so easily defeated. Even if some of them had changed sides.

Closing his eyes Fuyutsuki focused on the mental broadcast that echoed through his skull. He had always been curious about how the world would end. Well now he knew.

(Within LCL Column)

The smile had disappeared from Shinji/Rei's face, to be replaced by a somewhat solemn expression. It had gathered all the information it could from the people of the world and with that information it had come to a conclusion about what had to be done. Now it was time to inform the world of its decision. It sent out its thoughts once more.

'_Lilim, you confuse us. Your very existence is a paradox._

_You resort to violence to solve all of your problems, believing that you can prove your point through victory over those who oppose or disagree with you. The relative strengths of your nations are derived from their military power, their ability to destroy all those who oppose them._

_Even when confronted with the undeniable power of the Angels you resorted to violence as a means to stopping them. You constructed your Evas in an attempt to fight them on even ground._

_As long as you exist as you are now the fighting will never end. You will continue to kill each other until no-one is left alive. We cannot allow this to happen._

_We have consumed the information from your minds. We know your deepest thoughts and desires. Your race as a whole desires peace, but you are willing to use war to achieve it. Somehow you have managed to convince yourselves that you can achieve peace by destroying all who disagree with your views of the world. But if we allowed you to do so then there would be nothing left. You would destroy this world and all who inhabit it._

_You, all of you, desire paradise, yet where we to give it to you, you would destroy it with your anger and hate. You want paradise but you cannot handle it, you cannot truly believe it. Perfection is beyond your grasp, as it will always be._

_You Lilim are afraid of truly being alone. You cannot survive in such a state. Interaction, you require it to survive, however little it is. And yet you cannot be trusted with each other, conflict inevitably ensues whenever you gather._

_You all want something different from this world, but since you cannot agree on how the world should be, none of you will ever be able to achieve the world of your dreams, not here. You are joined primarily in your shared desire to shape the world around you according to your will, regardless of the will of others._

_There is only one solution to the puzzle of your existence. And that is to separate you all, and give each of you what you truly desire. But such a thing is only possible if you all become one first. To be separated you must first be joined.'_

Shinji/Rei began to gather the full strength of its AT field, melding the field's awesome power with the LCL that surrounded it and in turn to the more than a billion threads that extended out from the orange cross. It waited until the power had reached its zenith and then released it in a single wave.

A pulse of energy raced out along each string, travelling at a speed the human eye could not hope to follow. Accelerating more and more as their distance from the LCL increased, the pulses sped towards those connected to the threads.

'_You will be reduced to your base components, and then absorbed into a greater whole.'_

The first few pulses reached their targets and crashed into the base of their necks. A shudder ran through the body of those struck, and then moments later, they burst into floating puddles of LCL, puddles that immediately began to travel along the lengths of the threads.

'_The LCL that composes your bodies will be fused into the LCL Column.'_

The puddles of LCL were not the only things traversing the threads. A small ball of light followed each puddle, appearing fragile and insignificant. The strings began to retract behind them.

'_As will your souls.'_

As the threads had spread out, so now did the pulses, racing across fields and oceans alike as they followed the threads' paths. The process was faster this time, as it was no longer necessary to seek. Every single human being had already been found.

As more and more people exploded into LCL, many of the puddles began to arrive at the LCL Column. As soon as they touched the massive cross's surface they were simply swept away by the swirling current. The globes of light disappeared beneath the liquid's surface.

The absorption of the LCL caused the orange cross to swell in size, growing in both height and radius. A process that continued as the earth's population was systematically consumed.

'_You can try to resist, but the effort will be a waste. No one can resist the inevitable.'_

(Tokyo-3 Surface)

Asuka could feel the throbbing cord attached to her neck. She could even see the white thread, stretching out in front of her to the nearby LCL Column.

The redhead heard the voice in her mind, and could easily identify the tones of both Shinji and Rei. She heard and even understood what they were saying, but she didn't care. The disheartened teen was not simply going to allow her body to dissolve into nothingness. Whatever her friends had planned Asuka didn't want to be part of it. She just wanted to be left alone.

The few remnants of Unit-02 had already exploded into LCL, streaming into the nearby column along with the other Eva remains that littered the battle field. Although in her slightly delirious state she could not be certain, Asuka thought she had seen a glowing ball of light travelling with the LCL. But that didn't matter now.

As her gaze fell to her feet, Asuka felt the throbbing at the back of her neck lessen until it was little more than a seemingly distant twitching. If she thought however, that this meant her absorption was not to be completed then she was mistaken.

The teenager became aware of someone standing in front of her, and she raised her head slightly to investigate. She wasn't surprised when her eyes came to rest on feet of the purest white, nor was she surprised when those feet led to legs of the same colour. That the being that stood before her was entirely white was something that Asuka found unimpressive. What did surprise her was the figure's face.

Before the girl could voice her surprise though, a glowing hand reached down to cradle her right cheek. "Join us Asuka. You will never need to feel this pain again." Wether the figure was referring to the pain in Asuka's heart, or to the wound which leaked blood over its immaculate hand, the redhead didn't know. Nor did she care. The figure's hand felt so comfortable, so right.

Closing her eyes and taking a final, deep breath, Asuka allowed her body to disperse and her soul disappeared into the LCL Column.

(Within LCL Column)

Shinji/Rei smiled again as Asuka was finally absorbed, simultaneously noting the collapse of Misato's mental defences and her subsequent absorption.

'_Soon all will be one and then a new world will dawn.'_

At a single thought from the radiant figure, glowing portals of light were spawned around the LCL Column, placed at apparently random intervals. Though at first seemingly inactive the portals quickly began to spin, divulging a torrent of glowing orbs into the massive cross.

'_The dead too, shall join this world. Where they shall be reborn.'_

The flow of souls from the portals increased until each ball was only barely distinguishable from the next, and like those that came before they disappeared beneath the surface of the LCL.

'_Hear us Lilim, and know your future. You will all become part of a single being of indescribable power, but you will not know it. For within this being the very fabric of our reality will be torn asunder, and each soul shall receive a reality to call its own._

_Each and every one of you will be the controller of your own existence. The world around you will be shaped by your will and controlled by your subconscious. Your conscious mind however will be unable to tell the difference between your reality and true reality. You will believe everything around you to be as it should be and that it is ultimately beyond your control._

_Your reality will be inhabited by soulless beings placed there by your subconscious, that exhibit the traits of souls. You will not know the difference, and as such you will not care. You will be alone, as you must, and yet you will have the interaction on which you depend._

_Ultimately you will be able to achieve everything that you truly desire. Wether or not you do depends entirely on your own mindset._

_For some of you your realities will collapse in upon themselves, as you will be unable to retain due to mental fatigue. Similarly they will collapse in the event of your death, however it should occur. If either of these events happen your soul will, for a time, return to a Central Control Reality. Once your soul has suitably recovered you will once again receive a reality of your own and start over. Each time this happens your memories will be wiped, so you will remember nothing that came before._

_This is your destiny Lilim. This is how you will continue to exist for all eternity. We give you the gift of immortality, and in exchange we take from you the lives you know. To be replaced by a new life, in a reality of your own.'_

(Terminal Dogma, LCL Chamber)

Two globes of light floated before the base of the LCL Column, able to resist the pull exerted on them by the towering cross. Indeed, instead of being pulled in they were able to pull on the pillar itself, causing two small streams of LCL to break off from the whole and fly towards them.

The LCL streams spiralled around the two orbs, beginning to condense and take shape. The orange liquid took human form from the ground up, condensing into feet first before continuing up to form legs. The process continued until both streams of LCL had condensed all the way up to shoulders, at which time the streams split into three, separating to form the arms and heads of the two individuals.

As the bodies finally became fully formed the orange sheen that had previously covered them slowly disappeared, seemingly retracting into the pale skin. When the LCL was finally fully absorbed, it left two teenagers in its wake.

One of the teenagers, a grey haired boy, stretched his muscles as he tested his resurrected body. His two, blood red eyes snapped open and turned to study the silver haired girl that stood beside him. A slight, almost invisible smile crossed his face. "Welcome back Xera."

Her own eyes slowly opening, Xera tilted her head to the side and looked at her companion. "What is happening Nara? Why have we returned?"

Nara motioned towards the LCL Column with his right arm. "Shinji and Rei have initiated the Third Impact. They seek to bring an end to the Lilim as we know them." His smile increased slightly. "They are doing what they believe is right, what they believe must be done."

Xera glanced around the base of the LCL Column, her eyes coming to rest on a small object at the edge of the large pillar. An object that was squirming. "It seems they have left their child behind."

Nara followed her gaze. "So it would seem. Still, I do not believe Rei would simply abandon her. She will be back." With that he began to walk towards the small figure.

Naoki blinked and looked up as the sound of footsteps approached and stopped beside her. Her eyes widened slightly as she identified the two teens looking down at her as those who had earlier tormented her, stealing her from her mother's arms. This situation did not make her comfortable.

The baby girl's discomfort only increased as Nara reached down towards her, scooping her up with his right arm. He was not rough however, in fact he was gentle, doing the best he could to make the child comfortable.

Nara smiled sadly at the little girl. "Heh kid, looks like they left you alone." He signed when he saw the fear in the baby's eyes. "I am sorry Naoki. When I hurt you, I was not myself. But I'm better now."

Xera reached over and stroked the baby's head. "I too owe you an apology Naoki. I did what I needed to do." She looked at Nara. "What he told me to do." The grey haired teen turned to face her and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a disturbance from the nearby LCL Column.

As three pairs of red eyes turn to face it, a section at the base of the massive pillar began to ripple strangely and glow with an inner light. One particular section began to bulge outwards, only to rupture seconds later as a glowing white hand burst through it. The hand was quickly followed by a forearm, which was accompanied by a white leg bursting from the LCL closer to the surface. As the exposed arm swept back an entire figure began to emerge from the swirling column, its whole body a vivid white.

Cocking her head slightly, and allowing her flowing hair to roll over her shoulder, Xera looked the emerging figure up and down. She knew who this was. "Rei." Her silver wings sprung from her back.

Looking the figure in the eye, Nara slowly shook his head. "It's not Rei, not entirely. That body is forming itself from the LCL." He spread his wings and watched as the figure finally emerged fully, noting the four throbbing cords that extended from its back to the turbulent liquid behind it. "See, it's still connected. It is nothing but a mindless body, controlled by the combined will of Shinji and Rei." He looked down at Naoki. "I'm guessing it has assumed that form because it is the one their daughter is most comfortable with."

Taking several steps forward, the Rei look-alike came to a stop in front of the two red eyed teens. Its eyes scanned over them briefly before coming to rest of the child in Nara's arms. It lifted its arms from its sides and held them up before it, the meaning of the gesture clear.

Nara didn't hesitate to hand Naoki over, who for her part had already been reaching out towards what she identified as her mother. As soon as she was placed in the replica's arms, the little girl snuggled up against its white chest.

The glowing Rei smiled, though the expression was somewhat foreign on its otherwise emotionless face. Having secured its target it quickly turned and headed back towards the LCL Column, the cords from its back melding through its body to emerge from its chest instead, bending around the small form of Naoki.

It stoped a single pace from the churning liquid and turned its eerily white eyes to the two teens behind it. It spoke with the combined voices of Shinji and Rei. "You are welcome to join us. We will give you a place in our new world. Come, and achieve everything you have ever dreamed of." With that the figure stepped into the LCL and immediately dispersed into the current, taking Naoki along with it.

As soon as glowing figure disappeared Xera once again turned her attention to Nara. "What are they going to do?"

The red eyed boy took a moment to respond, considering how best to explain the pairs' plans. "They are going to tear apart the fabric of our reality and create numerous separate realities, enough for every Lilim soul to receive its own personal world, where their subconscious controls everything."

Xera blinked, taking a moment to digest the information. "But their lives will be nothing but a lie, it won't be real."

Nara shrugged, not fully understanding himself. "It will be real to them, and in the end, that's all the Lilim need. They will not know the truth of their existence. They will be happy." He made direct eye contact with Xera. "If we join them however, we will know."

The silver haired teen kept eye contact for a moment then looked away, trying to hide the emotion in her eyes. "If we go, will you stay with me?" As strange as it was, she found that she needed Nara. She wasn't sure if she could live without him. In the short time-span between his and her deaths she had felt so…empty, like something inside her had died with him. She didn't want to feel that way again.

Nara reached over and lifted Xera's chin, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "If we go Xera, I will stay with you. I promise you that." He smiled brightly, the first genuine smile he had ever given the winged girl. "You stayed with me, in my darkest hours. There's no way I'll abandon you now."

Xera was momentarily stunned by the expression on the boy's face but then found herself almost involuntarily returning the smile. "Let's go then."

Still smiling, Nara extended his hand. "Let's." Xera gripped the hand tightly and the two stepped up to the LCL Column, taking one last look at each before plunging into its surface. The moment they touched the swirling liquid their newly required bodies were once again reduced to LCL and their souls were sucked below the surface.

(Within LCL Column)

Sensing the absorption of Nara and Xera, Shinji/Rei smiled down at the small figure wrapped in its arms. Naoki, her body now the same white as her parent, looked back, a confused expression on her face. She was confused because the figure holding her was not her mother and yet she could still feel her mother's warmth. It wasn't her father either, yet she could feel him too. Though bewildered, she wasn't frightened. Whoever this figure was, it imparted more warmth to her than she had ever felt in her short life. As such the baby's face split into her somewhat lopsided imitation of a smile and she snuggled closer to the figure's chest.

Shinji/Rei's six energy wings folded around its body enfolding Naoki in their embrace and bathing both bodies in their coursing light. The cords on its back throbbed faster as the LCL Column once again swelled in size, carving a wider hole for itself in the ground.

Outside, a constant flow of LCL poured into the massive cross, continuing to increase its already impressive size. Every trace of the orange liquid that was absorbed was immediately condensed in volume but even that could only slow down the expansion rate.

Within the boundaries of the column, the absorbed souls of the Lilim spiralled upwards in a winding path that hugged the cross's walls. The highest concentration of souls spiralled around Shinji/Rei, obscuring its view of the surrounding LCL. This of course was meaningless, since the glowing figure didn't need its eyes to see.

Looking out from the cross itself, Shinji/Rei watched as the last of the LCL was finally absorbed, and with it the last of the souls. The last of the Lilim.

'_Finally it is done, now the final absorption can be completed. All will be one.'_

There was a rumbling from the depths of Terminal Dogma, now consumed by the LCL Column, and then a large object rocketed up from the pillar's base. An object with dark grey skin and blood red eyes, its humanoid body covered in blades and spikes.

Its six glowing wings streaking behind it, Unit-01 raced up the LCL Column, coming to a stop behind Shinji/Rei and Naoki. As its body came to a complete stop its chest split open, revealing an abyss of seemingly endless darkness.

At a single thought from Shinji/Rei, the hole in Unit-01's chest began to suck in the surrounding LCL, pulling in the many souls at the same time. As quickly as it had grown, the orange cross began to diminish as it flowed into the abyss.

'_Welcome to your new home Lilim, you will spend eternity here. Unit-01 will be the vessel for mankind.'_

Shinji/Rei had twisted reality within Unit-01's body, creating a myriad of separate, blank realities. As the LCL flowed in it was siphoned back into the Eva's body, while the souls were sucked in deeper, each hurled into a separate reality. Realities that began to take form around them.

As the LCL Column began to thin out around it, Shinji/Rei propelled itself backwards and towards Unit-01's gaping chest.

'_We will enter the Central Control Reality, where we will oversee your existence and ensure all goes to plan.'_

With that Shinji/Rei was sucked into the abyss, taking Naoki along with them. The reality they retreated too was one which they had created to bind the other realities together and to anchor those realities to Unit-01 and the real world. It was known as the Central Control Reality.

As the last of the LCL Column was sucked up, Unit-01's chest sealed over and the large Eva floated in the now empty sky. Although the LCL had been condensed even more upon entering its body, the Eva had nevertheless swelled in size, having almost three times its original dimensions. Its red eyes glowed more than ever before, a testament to the power now within it.

As it lowered itself to the edge of the chasm leading to what was left of Nerv, the mutated Eva threw back its head and roared, a sound that would have chilled people to their souls had anyone still been alive to hear it.

Mankind had now been reduced to a single being, a fusion of man and Angel. This was the destiny of mankind, to live on in a world of their own making, where nothing was truly real but they themselves. It had come to this, the violence and folly of the human race had finally come to this.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, hope you liked this chapter. I know it was short compared to previous chapters but I didn't want to needlessly drag out the story anymore than I had too. All that's left now is the epilogue and I'll try to get that up by Christmas. As always please review but don't flame. 


	12. Epilogue: The Answer

Disclaimer: This is the last time I'll have to say this for awhile. I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Author's Notes: Okay this is it, the epilogue for 'The Angels Return'. Nothing much, just a brief glance into the post-Third Impact world. I'm only really adding this to give people that happy ending I promised a while back. If you don't care about happy endings then you don't have to read it, though some of it might be important for this stories sequel (should I ever get around to writing it).

* * *

**Epilogue: The Answer**

(5 Years After Third Impact, Central Control Reality)

Shinji groaned slightly as he awoke from a deep sleep, squinting his eyes against the light filtering in through his second-story bedroom window. He silently cursed himself for leaving the shutters open last night.

Turning his head to the side he was greeted by the pleasant sight of his wife's sleeping face, the slight force of Rei's breathing tickling his face. Shinji had to smile at the sight, he thought that the blue haired beauty was never more attractive then when she was asleep.

Being careful not to wake his companion, Shinji swung his legs over the side of the bed and moved to rise. His progress was stopped however as Rei's arms reached out and wrapped themselves around his waist, pulling him back to the bed with a single forceful tug.

Shinji's previous smile widened as he found himself once again face-to-face with his young wife. Obviously she wasn't as asleep as he had previously thought. "Good morning Rei-chan."

Try as she might, Rei couldn't prevent a small smile from crossing her face. "It's early, go back to sleep." She made sure to keep her eyes closed the entire time.

Shinji chuckled slightly as he glanced across at their bedside clock. "It's eight thirty Rei, we should get up."

Shaking her head slightly, Rei moved forward and snuggled up to her husband. "No…sleep."

Disentangling himself from the red eyed women's arms, Shinji gently moved away from her and towards the edge of the bed. "Sorry Rei-chan but you'll have to get up eventually."

Rei's eyes finally opened and she pouted slightly. "No fair."

Shinji smiled and was about to respond when the doorway to their room suddenly swung open, prompting both young adults to immediately pretend sleep.

As the door finally opened fully a small figure crept in on tiptoe, approaching the bed as quietly as possible. Reaching the bed's base she pulled herself up on top of it and crept forward on all fours, careful to avoid her parents' slightly sprawled limbs.

Holding her breath, Naoki placed herself between her two 'sleeping' parents and prepared to give them a rather rude awakening. An awakening that would consist of a lot of noise, accompanied by a lot of shaking.

Just as Naoki was about to launch her assault however, Shinji's eyes snapped open and his arms reached out, easily pinning his daughter to the bed. Before the little girl could even voice a protest her mother's arms were suddenly hovering her, proceeding to tickle her stomach mercilessly.

The five year old girl burst into a fit of laughter, trying to wriggle her way out of her father's arms and away from Rei's torturous fingers. The efforts weren't getting her anywhere however so she switched to the whining strategy. "Stop! Stop! Please stop! I can't take it anymore!"

Rei laughed lightly and continued the merciless tickling. "I'm sorry Naoki-chan but you've woken me up one too many times, it's time for revenge." She smiled wickedly.

Struggling to suppress her laughter, Naoki put on the most innocent expression she could. "Please mommy, I promise I'll never do it again."

Finally easing off, Rei lifted her hands from her daughter's stomach. "Well as long as you promise Naoki, I suppose I can forgive you." She poked the blue haired girl in the abdomen for good measure. "So don't do it again."

Naoki grinned mischievously as Shinji released her, immediately jumping off the bed and running to the door. "I promise…I'll do it again." She ran from the room, spurred on by the sound of her parents getting out of bed.

Unfortunately for Naoki, her little legs were no match for her mother's longer ones and she was caught before she could even reach the end of the hallway.

Rei effortlessly hoisted her daughter into her arms, using her right hand to once again tickle the girl's belly. "Now Naoki-chan, I'm sure I must have heard you incorrectly before. I could have sworn you said you'd do it again."

Screaming with laughter, Naoki shook her head in protest. "No, no. I said I wouldn't do it again, wouldn't."

Rei smiled warmly and ceased her relentless tickling. "Oh well in that case…" She placed her daughter back on the ground. "Run along downstairs sweetie, I'll be along to make breakfast shortly."

Naoki smiled widely and ran off towards the stairs, hoping that her mother would follow soon. Breakfast was by far her favourite meal of the day.

Rei continued to smile as her young daughter ran downstairs, the expression only increasing as Shinji came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. They had spent the last five years in this world and so far everything had been great. The three of them were usually the only people in this reality with souls but that was enough. All they really needed was each other.

Originally Nara and Xera had entered this reality as well but they had soon left to build their own world together, with vague promises that they would return if necessary.

Other souls entered this reality from time to time of course, since this was the Central Control Reality, but they were powerless here and soon moved on to new realities. While they were here they remembered nothing of their past lives and believed exactly what Rei and Shinji wanted them to believe.

This reality's history was not quite as simple as others. Unlike the other realities, every last one of the soulless bodies here were replicas of the bodies of real people, bodies they could retreat to should their own realities collapse. As such the Central Control Reality was a decidedly 'normal' world. It was quite similar to how the world had been before the occurrence of the Second Impact, though with a significantly higher population since it contained every human being who had ever lived.

In this world Shinji and Rei were a married couple and both were now twenty-one, with Rei having given birth to Naoki at sixteen. They appeared mostly as they had before the Third Impact, only a little older and lacking the wings and the red circles on their palms. The slightly older replicas of their friends were their friends here also, though being soulless it wasn't quite the same. Still, they had each other and that was all that mattered.

Heading downstairs, Rei prepared a surprisingly quick breakfast of bacon and eggs for her family, much to the delight of the easily excited Naoki.

Though Naoki was not herself aware of the control she could exert over her existence with her thoughts alone, she had grown up in a world were she got everything she wanted when she wanted it and as such was a very happy child who saw wonder in everything she beheld. Including the food she was now shovelling into her mouth.

Shinji smiled at his daughter inhaling her food. "You really should try chewing Naoki. You might choke if you don't." Such a thing would never happen in this world but that didn't mean the little girl shouldn't savour her meal.

Naoki smiled through her food but continued eating at her rapid pace nonetheless, causing Shinji to reach over and ruffle her soft blue hair.

The small family was interrupted from their meal by a knock on their house's front door. Rei and Shinji knew who was at the door and knew that she had been pulled here by Naoki's subconscious will, so they didn't object when their daughter jumped to her feet and declared that she would get the door.

The red eyed girl sprinted all the way to the sturdy wooden door and stood on tiptoes to open it. Naoki was not a particularly tall girl for her age and so still had to stretch to reach the large door's handle.

When the door finally did swing open Naoki smiled brightly, happy to see the redhead who stood on the other side. "Auntie Auska!" The woman in question was not truly Naoki's aunt but she chose to refer to her as such.

Asuka, or rather her replica signed. "For the last time Naoki it's Asuka, not Auska."

Naoki's smile only widened. "I know, but I like Auska better. Just like Uncle Naha and Auntie Era." For the most part the young girl preferred not to refer to people by their real names.

The twenty-one year old gave in and chuckled quietly. "You're a lost cause Naoki. Where are your parents?"

"They're in the kitchen!" Naoki announced the comment with far more dramatic flare than necessary, proudly marching towards said location.

Signing again the Asuka replica followed the perpetually happy girl to the kitchen where Shinji and Rei were waiting for them. "Heh guys."

Rei smiled warmly. "What brings you here so early Asuka. Where's Ryo."

The redhead took a seat at the kitchen bench and rested her arms on its marbled surface. "He's at home. Mom's looking after him for me. That's actually why I'm here. I need to borrow some baby stuff, Ryo's getting bored with his current toys."

Ryo was Asuka's son and had been born almost two years ago in her own reality. Since he was the child of a controller, Shinji and Rei had given him a brand new soul of his own, and as such a replica had to be created for him in this world, a body for him to fall back to should the world he shared with his mother collapse. An unfortunately common event when more than one soul shared a reality.

The replica Asuka of course was not with the child's father as he had been nothing more than an imaginary figure created by the real Asuka's mind. In this world he was nothing but a forgotten memory. No-one cared that he was absent.

Shinji raised an eyebrow at Asuka's question. "Borrow? Last time you decided to 'borrow' things from us, we never saw them again."

Asuka waved a hand dismissively. "Surely you're not going to hold one bad case against me. I mean my record with you two is otherwise spotless."

The black haired male wasn't impressed by the response. "Asuka, you've done it at least five times. And last time I checked you owed us a few thousand dollars." He smiled. "Still, I suppose we can help you."

Rei smiled also and reached over to grip her friend's hand. "Come, I'll show you where we keep Naoki's old toys." She led the blue eyed woman away, with Naoki following close behind them, intending to make sure her mother didn't give away any of her favourite toys.

Shinji just laughed quietly and went back to his breakfast. These last five years had been great. Watching his daughter grow, with his lovely wife by his side, he didn't think this world could be any better.

(2 Hours Later, Central Control Reality)

Having finished their interaction with the replica Asuka, the small family had gone out for a walk in the park. Shinji and Rei strolled along hand in hand while Naoki ran around in front of them, entirely intent on seeing everything their was to see along their path.

The five year old was happily licking at a large ice-cream cone as she ran, one of a seemingly endless line of cones given to her by complete strangers. In fact no sooner did Naoki finish her current cone then a stout man in a business suit suddenly produced one from the briefcase he carried and handed it to the little girl.

Naoki smiled as she received the ice-cream. "Thank you!"

The man smiled warmly in response. "My pleasure little girl." And with that he promptly closed his briefcase and went about his day, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

Most people would wonder how the young girl could consume so much food and yet never put on any weight. The reason was simple however. Naoki didn't want to be fat and therefore she wasn't. In her case it was that simple.

Shinji and Rei just smiled as Naoki began licking furiously at the new cone. Their daughter's will certainly manifested itself in mysterious ways. A fact that was confirmed as they turned a corner only to see that a circus had been set up in the middle of the park, one that had free entry.

Squealing in delight Naoki took off towards the large circus tent, only stopping briefly for her parents to catch up before running into the pavilion.

The rest of the day continued in much the same manner, with the family visiting everything from a zoo to a strange theme park known as 'Sugar World' which was in truth little more than a massive candy shop.

One would think that Naoki would eventually grow bored with the same or similar events happening everyday, but somehow the petite child never ceased to be amazed at the things she saw. To her everyday was as fantastic as the last, if not even better.

When the family finally did get home Naoki was not even tired, gulping down her dinner at the same speed which she had breakfast. When Rei suggested that she should go to bed however, she suddenly found herself overcome with a desire to lie down and go to sleep. Almost falling to sleep on her feet, the blue haired girl allowed herself to be picked up by her mother and carried off to bed.

When Rei returned to the dining room she sat down next to Shinji at the table, casually leaning her head against his shoulder. "How do you think the others are doing?"

Shinji rested his head on top of his wife's. "I'm sure they're doing great. After all they're in realities where their every dream can and will come true."

Snuggling up more to her husband's side, Rei signed in contentment. "You're right Shin-chan, I'm sure they're just fine."

(Asuka's Reality)

Asuka Langley Sohryu, twenty-one year old mother of one was busy nursing her young son, smiling at the warmth of the child's body pressed against her own.

The boy's father was not around at the moment, busy at some sort of business conference. Not that it really mattered to Asuka. Her husband was a good man and one of her best friends but she did not care for him anywhere near as much as she cared for her son. All she ever really wanted was a child.

As he finished suckling, Ryo rested his head against his mother's chest and began to drift off to sleep. He signed slightly as his green eyes slowly closed, bringing another smile to Asuka's face.

Standing up, the redhead carried her child to his small cot and carefully laid him down among his baby toys, kneeling down herself to watch the infant sleep. As always the little boy looked completely peaceful as he slept, his small chest rising and falling evenly and his light scattering of red hair moving slightly with the breeze coming through the window.

Asuka didn't need anything else. As long as she had her son, she was happy.

(Nara and Xera's Reality)

At the center of Tokyo-2, largest city in the world stood the tallest building in the world. Aya-Corp Central, the main building of the world spanning Aya Corporation, this realities premier supplier of…everything.

At the very top of the eight hundred meter tall, two hundred and fifty storey structure was a large penthouse, from which practically the entire city was visible. On the balcony of this penthouse stood Nara Ayanami, looking down at the busy streets below.

Nara was the head of Aya-Corp in this reality and had been for quite some time, having supposedly dragged himself up from the streets to become the richest man in the world. That of course had never actually happened. Though Nara considered the struggle he had had to go to in order to permanently suppress the Angels within him was somewhat akin to it.

While standing on the balcony the young adult was wondering how much damage he could do if he threw a coin over the balcony. He wasn't actually going to throw a coin but he was mildly interested in what the result would be. At this height it would certainly be destructive.

Nara was taken from his thoughts by the sound of the screen door behind him sliding open. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "Is he asleep?"

Xera came to stand next to Nara, joining him in his contemplation of the streets below. "Yeah, he's sleeping like a baby." She only realised the slight stupidity of that statement after she said it.

Nara realised it too and chuckled slightly at his wife's mistake. "He is a baby."

Though she simply glared at her husband at fist, Xera eventually let out a small chuckle herself. "It was a slip of the tongue Nara, leave off it."

In this reality Xera was Nara's wife, with a similar history to him. She too had crawled her way up from the streets, eventually becoming an important executive within Aya-Corp. That had been five years ago, when this reality actually came into existence.

Soon after the two had married and a little over two years after the Third Impact Xera had given birth to a baby boy who they named Hisahito.

Like his parents Hisahito had blood red eyes and pale skin, a complexion complemented by his glossy white hair. Like Ryo, this boy had received his own soul and a replica in the Central Control Reality. He was as real as his parents.

Taking his attention from the streets below, Nara turned to smile at his wife. "You're cute when you're angry."

Any lingering traces of annoyance vanishing, Xera smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why thankyou." She pulled his head down until their lips met in a deep and sensual embrace. Not their first kiss, though certainly not their last.

As Nara wrapped his arms around Xera's waist the two closed their eyes and simply enjoyed the moment. Here, together, with their son, they were happy.

* * *

End Notes: Well that's it. 'The Angels Return' is finally finished. I hope you enjoyed reading it. At some point I am going to write a sequel to this story which will be based at some point in the future of this strange new world. As always I'd appreciate it if you reviewed and told me what you thought. 


End file.
